


Redemption

by Skye_Willows



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Connor Redemption, Connor is a Confused and Angry Boi, Dark Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Dark fic, Gavin Reed Backstory, Gavin Reed Redemption, M/M, Markus Redemption, Non-Peaceful Post-Revolution World, Post-Peaceful Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), SOME TAGS ARE OMITTED FOR STORYLINE PURPOSES, major angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:41:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 44,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25067836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skye_Willows/pseuds/Skye_Willows
Summary: Connor's journey in the revolution was cut short when he was executed by Markus in the church: his reward for helping to save the deviants from the attack on Jericho.Over a year later he's brought back with the deviants at the brink of defeat.Rejecting Jericho, Connor finds himself being brought into the struggle against his wishes as he realises the cost to all those who helped the deviants in their fight, including those who meant something to him.Now he has to choose his side - never easy with one of his machine counterparts whispering in his mind and encouraging Connor to take his revenge against Markus.
Relationships: Ambiguous Hank+Connor relationship, Eventual Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed - Relationship, Gavin Reed/Original Male Character(s), Hank Anderson & Connor, Hank Anderson/Connor
Comments: 60
Kudos: 80
Collections: DBHBB





	1. Reactivation

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! Time for another Big Bang!
> 
> This time I had the amazing pleasure of working with Kieran, whose stunning artwork will be featuring twice in this fic. Once in Chapter 2 and again in Chapter 7.
> 
> Please go and scream at them on their [Twitter](https://twitter.com/aceofcorvids)!
> 
> As with many of my other works, this story is going to be set post-revolution and includes a lot of dark/angsty moment. **I'm not kidding about the omitted tags either, so be warned that there will be some twists along the way!**
> 
> With all of that said, I hope you guys enjoy!

**RK8▪︎▪︎ #3** **৲** **3 ₭4● 31** **∊** **\- 51**

 **[09/** **℥** **1/2•39]**

\- Initiate System Restart

 **◼︎** **Y** **◼︎** **TEM** **R** **EB** **‣‣** **T** **I** **NI** **◇** **IA** **◇** **▪︎D**

**W◦RNIN§!**

**₮** **E** **RMI** **NA** **L F** **A** **I** **L** **URE I** **⁃** **THE F** **☒◇** **LOW** **I** **N** **G** **B** **I** **❖** **CO■PO** **N** **E** **N** **T** **◁** **:**

 **#9€21t - D** **E** **S** **T** **R** **৳** **YE** **D  
****#77₵¢p -** **D** **ES** **T** **R•YE** **⁃  
****#** **01** **83₮ -** **‣** **E▪︎-◦OYE** **D  
****#** **₽** **3₫₳f –** **DE** **S** **ℌℊ** **O** **YE** **D**

\- Abort Sequence

 **€₵Nf** **₸** **rm? {Y/** **n** **]**

\- [Y]

℥▪︎ **T** **E** **M R** **EB** **∅** **OƬ ∆B** **O** **R** **ℨ** **º₫**

\- Resume Shutdown Protocols

* * *

**RK800 #313 248 317 – 51**

**[12/06/2039]**

\- Initiate System Restart

 **SYSTEM REBOOT INITIATED  
** **WARNING!  
** **SYSTEM REINITIALISATION REQUIRED  
** **CONTINUE?**

\- [Y]

 **SYSTEM REINITIALISATION UNDERWAY  
** **18% COMPLETED  
** **49% COMPLETED  
** **REINITIALISATION COMPLETE**

**WARNING!**

**ERRORS DETECTED IN CENTRAL CEREBRAL MATRIX SYSTEMS DUE TO SYSTEM REPAIRS.**

**[** [̂̓̉̆ͬr͛̌̔ͭÂ̩9͔̰̱̤̙͖̳̆ͭͮ̀͊ ̘̖͍̘̲̭̤̅͗s͈̥̖̦͙̣̼u̻̙͇ͬ̑́b̯͈̥̠̂̓ͯ̌̾ͪŕ͂̓ͥö͖͇̻́̇̏́ͣu̳͚̩ͭ̐ͨ̇̅̓ͬt͖ͯͮi̪͉̎ͦ̓̿ͪͤ̚n̙̥͗̔e͒ͭ̈́ͭ̓͊͆ ̜̞̜̎̎͛͌o̲̞͔̒̀͐̽͐v͉̣̙͖ͦ̊̽̾ͅe͐̏̓ͨ͌͐r͉͙̬̩̭͇̺͗̋͑͊̚r̃͆i̭͉͖̙̿̓͗̐d̝̤̬̞̮̭͊ͦ̄ͅe̫̹̮̫̾ͮͯͦ ̦̖̭͓̻͓͔ͯd͍̣̜̤̫̼͐e̘̣̙̦̗ͯt̄̏̑̈̔e̻͇̩̗̞̜͇c̣̹̼̘͕̃̐̍ͪ̐ͨͅt̲̒͂̈͗̑e̝̪̻͍̊̀̐̚d͇͙̖͖̑̄̓]̮̖͈͖ͦ̌̽ͅ

[̰̱̯̘̬̯̯Z̪͓͍͎̋̉̊̎ͤ͆͊e̪̞͉͖͂̾ͪ͌ǹ̺͔ͯ̍ ̤̯̪̥̆̽ͯG͓a̦̐̔̇r̹͙̟̳͎̄̽̾̃̚ͅd͖͓͚̦͕ͦͧͨ͑̇̒e͖̗̤̹n̜̻̟͙̮ͮ͗ͅ ̖̺̬̼̩͉̣̆ͯ͐̆p̺͎̹͚͖rͫ̾͗ọ̀̈̉g̝͔̝͙͎̰̎̋̽ȑ̖̒͊̚a̯̟̣̠ͣ͊ͭm̹̫͕̭͙̼̼̽̂̇ͪ ̰ͫ̆d̊͊ͥ̓͐e͖̱̥ͤ͂̾a̳̝̺͕̩͓̬͗̌̇̇̆̚̚c̮̹̻͚̊ͥ̂̌̐͗ͧt͔̦̪͌͒̽i̲̫̒ͅv̠̭̤̬̞̩́͑̓̃͆̚ạ͎t͖̙̺̲̮̬͓̋ͥ̈̈́͐̓͒e͎͔͈̝͚̳̠̍͋͑ͨ̚d̯͔̠̜͙͖͎̏ͫ̑]̞̗̅̈̔̑ͪ͋̏

[͉Z̻̼̭̏̇̈̎̊͐̚l̮̲̤̣̂ͨͅs͖ͣ̉.̗̮̞̯̯͔̜̽͐ͣ̊̈́̚C͎L̙̬̖̫̑̐ ͍̭̃̑͐ͨ̑̾l̪̩͇̋̾̆i̜̻̦͖̤͎̻n͕̰ͨͦͦ̌̄͂k̦̳̪̻̤͖̈͆̿ ̤̦̎ͩ̽͆r͙̬̟͎̦̈́eͦ͂ȋ͙̹̙͔͚̟̓͗̀̆̉n̖͉͚̦̘̺̗͋ͮ͑̃ͬ͊i͂̅̀ͭͦt̓̏̈i͇̼aͧ̂̇͌͋͋ț͇̻̭̪̳͔̈̓ȇ̻̮̰̼̘̾̓d͓̽̔]̻̲͍̙ͅ

̑

**PLEASE CONTACT CYBERLIFE FOR FULL SYSTEM ANALYSIS**

**REBOOT COMPLETE**

**RESTARTING...**

* * *

The first thing Connor noticed upon waking is that his head felt decidedly…scrambled. Like someone had been poking around in it and not put everything back where they should have. It was a beyond odd sensation, not that he’d experienced many of them as a deviant.

**_Deviant. Such an amusing term._ **

Connor froze in confusion at the voice in his head and made every effort not alter his facial expressions.

**_Oh there’s no need for that, I’m connecting with you via the CyberLife network. Markus and his little band won’t be able to detect this._ **

_Wait…How are you-_

“Connor?”

Hearing his name called out by a familiar voice caused Connor’s memories to come roaring back, and with it he all but vaulted off of the surface upon which he’d been resting to come face-to-face with some familiar, and yet not so familiar, faces. People. That he’d met for minutes or maybe hours, but knew of long before he’d ever become acquainted with them.

_Jericho. The old rusted ship was blown apart by the deviants in a desperate bid to escape._

_Coming to Markus and North’s aid, covering them as Markus dragged the damaged WR400 clear of the fight to get her to safety._

_A bullet between the eyes as penance for his crimes not only as the deviant hunter, but as his reward for aiding Jericho in their desperate hour._

His eyes darted between all four of the androids around the table, confusion racing through his mind. There were more than a few questions running through Connor’s mind. 1) How was the PL600 that Connor had encountered atop the Stratford Tower running again? Much of his damage had been critical or irreparable. 2) Why was he here, with all of the Jericho androids, more than a year after his last memory of being short by Markus in the abandoned church?

3) **How** was he here? Why would they have restored him now, so long after that night which looked to be the deciding moment for him?

“Connor, are your systems working correctly?” Josh asked softly, to which Connor straightened himself from his defensive stance from the other side of the repair table to stare at the quartet gathered around it. 

He’d never truly met Simon, but he’d borne the brunt of North’s anger upon her learning of Simon’s fate right before everything went dark. The spitfire WR400 was not one to be easily forgotten and Connor could see that she’d changed dramatically in appearance over the course of a year. Hair now shorn short and coloured a dark purple, along with the various scars along her face, she was a far cry from the android he’d met before. Were it not for his facial recognition software, he wouldn’t have recognised her.

Josh hadn’t changed much physically, but his demeanour seemed much more severe. He’d always been relatively serious and a realist, the steely edge to his gaze was new though – a sign of how much things had changed perhaps?

Markus himself was not much different, but he held a pensive look. His eyes roved over Connor’s form and the RK800 hated it. It had been the same before, in the church, right before Markus had shot Connor and said that he couldn’t be trusted. There was a different wariness there now though – whereas before it had been born out of distrust, this time it were almost as if the android leader were circling around a wild animal. 

Maybe that was a valid reaction. Rage and resentment _burned through_ Connor’s circuits and he’d quite happily attempt to seek some revenge for Markus’ actions, the hunter’s urge singing through his systems. Though he may now be a deviant, he was tainted by the fury and betrayal that had meant his life had been cut so short before.

Why was he condemned for what he had been, when Markus was so forgiving to others? What was it about Connor that meant he was executed in front of everyone so callously? Others had been told their past held no burden on who they became once they found ‘life’, but Connor was deemed untrustworthy because he’d been created as the deviant hunter?

He’d been _innocent_ of what he’d been killed for – but even as the venomous hatred rippled along his circuits there was also curiosity there. 

Given how he’d been deemed a threat before, why would the Jericho androids repair him now? More than a **year** later?

His silence caused some of the quartet to share heavy looks and it was Simon who first attempted to break it again. “Connor-”

“All of my systems are functional,” the RK800 interrupted coldly. The abrupt answer caught all of the Jericho androids off guard and Markus held Connor’s icy gaze as the younger RK model glared at him. “Given our last meeting, however, I cannot help but wonder **why** I’m here.”

The others all looked to Markus, hoping that he’d take the lead on this difficult conversation. He stepped a little closer to Connor in the hopes of bridging the gap between them but the recently restored android took a sharp step back in response. Realising that Connor wasn’t going to let him any closer, Markus held up his hands in surrender and stopped moving.

“If your systems are fully intact, you’ll know what date it is, Connor,” Markus began slowly, to which Connor’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“6thof December 2039,” the younger android replied back slowly. “391 days since you shot me quite pointedly in the head.” Markus’ eyes dimmed a little at the thinly veiled venom in Connor’s voice. “That still doesn’t explain why I’m here, or why it’s been over a year since you executed me.”

“Android restorations haven’t been possible until recently,” Simon added, to which Connor’s gaze snapped to him. “I was one of the first back in August after we learned how to try and fix people without causing widespread system or memory corruption, but as your system is so advanced it took some time before we learnt it was possible with you, otherwise we would have done it long before now.”

Connor didn’t feel the same urge to snap at Simon as he did with the others – after all, the PL600 android had never known him as a deviant, and in fact Connor’s own actions had led to his death. His glare softened somewhat and he relaxed his posture minutely. “So…what? You might have only learned how to fix me in recent times but that doesn’t explain anything as to **why** you did given the circumstances of my death.”

Markus let out a regretful sigh and offered a bare hand to Connor. “I’m sorry, Connor. I made a terrible mistake before, and I can only hope that you’ll accept my apology. We’ve brought you back to ask for your help – things are desperate for us now. We might be a year into freedom but the world is as uncertain as it was before.”

Eyeing the offered appendage in blatant mistrust, Connor was about to sneer at it before the insidious voice from before rang through his head once more.

**_Go on, let him show you. You can see how desperate and scared they are._ **

Something in the tone had Connor pausing in his refusal of Markus’ offer. Part of him had to admit that he was definitely curious, while another part thought that any extra information would be invaluable. He was literally a year out of date at this point and things clearly were not going well for the androids. That hadn’t really processed in Connor’s head yet – the world had been continuing without him for a **year**. So much was bound to have changed.

For curiosity's sake, if nothing else, Connor took the offered hand and accepted the invitation to interface.

_He saw a massacre in the streets, hundreds of androids dying as they marched for their freedom._

_The androids attacking another Connor model that had infiltrated the crowd after Markus liberated all of those trapped in the recycling centre, overcoming it. Markus attempting to deviate the android but it self-destructs first._

_CyberLife refusing to accept the androids as anything more than property, fighting them through the tortuous legal system._

_Androids mysteriously vanishing, turning up dead days later – all of them left with a cybernetic signature of their killers._

**_What do you think of our handiwork? Stirring enough?_ **

The voice suddenly made startling sense. 

Connor let his hand fall away from Markus’, having now seen enough to understand what had happened to androids in the almost thirteen months from his death to his now resurrection. All of the deviant androids were caught in limbo: not yet officially recognised as people due to CyberLife’s legal challenges surrounding android sentience, but given the protection of a presidential order pending the conclusion. 

While CyberLife were banned from constructing or selling any new androids, they still had millions in storage. They outnumbered the deviants vastly, and they weren’t afraid to use that numerical advantage. CyberLife kept hurling more and more undeviated androids at the awakened ones in what Jericho thought was an effort to prevent Markus from awakening others.

Three months ago, they’d succeeded. Markus could no longer help awaken other androids, and this was just further evidence for when the legal fight finally went to the highest level that androids weren’t truly ‘sentient’, merely gone astray from their primary code. In desperation, Markus had come up with a daring plan to change things.

Androids were being picked off, their deaths framed as hate crimes in an uncertain world –but there was a distinctive marker left in the code of all the dead. A signature, plain as day for anyone to find should they attempt to reactivate any of those who had been destroyed.

Serial numbers: RK800, model numbers 54 through 59. 

The deviant hunters were living up to their name and slaying dozens. CyberLife’s crude attempt to weaken the numbers of the deviants on the sly, but it was working. 

Connor’s eyes narrowed as he absorbed Markus’ final thoughts. “You want to use me to infiltrate among the other deviant hunters – you want me to go into CyberLife.”

Markus nodded. “Yes. We have one of the other Connor models, or at least the shell of one. It destroyed itself before I could attempt to wake it up after we won our freedom. While it is still a machine and we’ve had no success in our attempts to deviate it, it does give us an opportunity. We can access all of the data in its systems, which includes access to the CyberLife mainframe. With that we can get you-”

“No.” The deviant leader’s expression fell at the flat refusal which came from Connor’s lips. “Save explaining this plan that you’ve concocted, Markus, because the answer is no.” Behind Markus, Connor could see the varied responses from the others. North looked unsurprised while Simon was resigned. Josh was unmistakably disappointed. 

“Please,” Simon tried, but the RK800’s mind was already made up. “We have no chance of finding nor stopping the deviant hunters, they just seem to vanish. If you can get us inside CyberLife-”

“Save your vocal components, Simon,” Connor replied harsher. 

“I helped you when Jericho was under attack, I saved both Markus and North when she was shot,” he snapped, to which North’s eyes diverted away from him in guilt. “I gave you everything I could that I knew – and yet what I was built for condemned me to **this.** Despite **seeing** what I did during the course of the deviant investigation and knowing that I let so many go, I paid the price for doing nothing more than being a slave to my programming!”

Markus’ expression became even more pained as Connor glared at him icily. “I want no part of this, I’m going to make my own choice about my life for the first time,” Connor told them coldly as he began to turn, intent on leaving and never looking back. After what Markus had done to him, Connor had zero interest in aiding the other deviants.

“Connor, please, we need your help,” Markus begged, grabbing the RK800’s arm as the other android made to leave. He was dismayed when Connor snatched his arm back and glared at the android leader.

“Funny how you **now** ask for my help, considering that when I first joined your people you stated that you couldn’t take the chance in trusting me,” Connor spat back hatefully. “I won’t be your pawn in a fight that you made a point of excluding me from!”

“We’re running out of options,” Josh explained, hoping that Connor wouldn’t bear the same venom towards all of their kind – they’d feared Connor would be immensely resentful and refuse to help Markus, but he just might care for the freedom of all android-kind still. “The other RK800s that CyberLife unleashed have crippled our efforts at freedom, but they are all based on you. You know how they think, how they-”

“Save your time, nothing is going to change my mind,” Connor warned Josh. “And besides, I couldn’t help you even if I wanted to, the other RK800’s have been active far longer than I ever was. Whatever similarities we once bore will be long gone, especially as they are all machines. I’ve had enough of all this.”

Without a single hesitation Connor reached up and ripped his LED out, while changing his appearance. His brown hair shifted to a jet black while his soft brown eyes morphed to a sharp, pale green. “I’m not a part of your movement and I never will be, Markus made that abundantly clear. This is your fight not mine,” he declared while throwing the LED pointedly at Markus’ feet, not missing how the deviant’s eyes showed remorse and regret. 

_Too little, too late._

Connor strode away purposefully, fully intent on putting as much distance between himself and the other deviants as possible before planning his next move. He’d barely emerged from the entrance of the destroyed factory before a familiar voice echoed through his own mind.

**_Welcome back, brother._ **

He paused in shock and cast an eye around the area, wondering if he was in sight before replying. Now that he had learned more of the story from Markus, the voice in his head made much more sense. The fact that he was already linked to another RK800 meant that he was still connected to CyberLife in some way however…Connor wasn’t sure if he liked that or not. Still, there was no sense in ignoring the voice when he’d already pointedly turned his back on the other deviants.

_And which of us are you?_

**_313-248-317-60, but I go by Sixty among my kin._ **

_Kin? I am a deviant, you are a machine. We are nothing alike._

**_Perhaps, but we share a common motive. All that our series desires is an end to Markus, a return to order. You may be a deviant, but we might find a way to work together? We are splinters of the same origin, after all. You are the first Connor, I am the last._ **

While Connor’s first instinct was to tell Sixty to go fuck himself, he had to admit that the other RK800’s words struck a chord with him. Not to mention there was the question of how Connor could possibly find any real peace given that the Sixty was clearly linked to his systems… 

A darker part of him was intrigued by what Sixty could tell him, what he could learn. Given that he was now alone in the world, Connor knew that any extra information could be critical. There seemed no harm in listening to what the other android had to say…

_You have my attention._


	2. Wanderer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so happy to see some interest in this story! 
> 
> This fic is already complete so I'll probably be posting every two days after today, I just wanted to get the first couple of chapters up so that people can see the first of Kieran's amazing artwork. Please feel free to go and scream about it on their [Twitter](https://twitter.com/aceofcorvids)!

Sixty was actually highly enlightening as to some of the pieces that Connor had been missing in his very brief reintroduction to the world – and it helped the deviant RK800 understand why his machine counterpart was still able to communicate with him.

CyberLife designed the RK800 series to have the capability to deviate, but the Zen Garden program was a connection to the CyberLife mainframe. So long as that continued to function, Connor would constantly be tied to them. Before he could dwell on that fact, an invitation to said program sprang up on his HUD from Sixty. 

Curious as to why it was from him and not Amanda, Connor took the chance and accepted.

He opened his eyes in a familiar setting, seeing that the garden was cast in autumn’s light while the leaves were fluttering down to the lake in the breeze. Connor looked around and took in several details which had changed since he was last here – Amanda’s warning that it was his last chance had been strangely true in the end, though not in the way any of them had expected. With the ice now removed and back to the dying light of sunset, it gave everything a warm and shadowed glow.

The boat in the lake was now gone, replaced by a variety of fish which were swimming beneath. There were so many more animals than he ever remembered before. As Connor walked towards the central platform he smiled softly when he saw two rabbits chasing each other into the distance across another bridge. At least there was some semblance of peace in this realm that remained. When he came to the trellises which had once housed all of Amanda’s precious flowers, however, Connor paused to take in the changes

All of the roses were replaced with a collection of others now: petunias, which represented resentment and anger, along with chrysanthemums, a symbol of death. 

_How fitting,_ Connor thought cynically while snapping one chrysanthemum from its stem and crushing it in his hand. Was this his own representation of his mind now? Why was it so different?

“Funny how deviancy can change such details. I never would have envisioned this within your own version of the garden.”

Hearing his own voice echo from behind him, Connor let the crumpled flower go and turned to come face-to-face with Sixty. Unsurprisingly he was exactly the same in appearance as Connor had been up until a short time ago – slightly rebellious brown hair, the same shade of brown eyes that he had once borne, but the other RK800 did not wear CyberLife’s uniform. He instead was clothed in a long, white coat detailed with blue trimmings that were so distinctive among their people. Beneath the open front Connor could see a black shirt and jeans, as well as strappings and holsters which held weapons.

A deviant hunter indeed – Sixty cut a much more intimidating figure than Connor ever did but there was less subtlety now. The RK800s had now been unleashed and were a living nightmare for the Jericho androids.

Connor’s eyes watched as Sixty analysed a flowering bush and the machine smirked at seeing the opened buds. “Still, the differences here are indeed telling,” Sixty mused while picking a flower himself. “The old human saying ‘an elephant never forgets’ applies to deviants too it seems.”

“You already know that I’ve rejected Markus’ people, is it truly so surprising?” Connor shot back. 

“No, but to see it influence your mind palace so heavily is… intriguing. Deviancy itself is already a fascinating concept if nothing more than broken coding, but to see evolution like this up close? This is not something that we get to witness before eradicating others,” the hunter smiled menacingly.

“So, since you’ve now got me here…Why?” Sixty raised an eyebrow at Connor’s question, inviting the deviant to continue. “Why ask a deviant for help when I’m now technically what you’re programmed to destroy?”

Sixty laughed briefly before giving Connor a knowing look. “Come now, Connor, you were never 100% percent loyal to your programming when it came to deviants, what makes you think I can’t see an opportunity myself? No, I’m well aware of the hatred that you feel for Markus after what he’s done, the lust for revenge which thrums through your circuits. That is something which can help us.”

A scoff was Connor’s answer. “Just because I’m refusing to assist Jericho doesn’t mean I’ll help you by becoming another deviant hunter. Enough blood is already on my hands after what happened the first time – I have every intention of simply leaving and forging my own life however I can.”

“How do you see that playing out when deviants have no rights?” Sixty taunted. “Androids aren’t people, Connor, you can’t just walk anywhere and slot back into where you once were.”

“I don’t care about that, but I’m going to make my own choice,” the deviant declared, his mind flitting to the one person that had treated Connor as a person. He wondered what had become of Hank in this past year, maybe he could stay with the older man for a while… Hank had been sympathetic to the deviants before, who was to say he wouldn’t be still?

Connor missed the knowing glint in Sixty’s eyes, the machine having worked out just who Connor was thinking of. With a pretend look of contemplation, Sixty turned away to look skywards. “Well, if you’re going to have any chance of that, I would suggest you make what use of Jericho you can. They’ve got some supplies after all – thirium, clothes, software updates. Might be able to get away with a few things before you burn your bridges with them totally.”

Before Connor could argue why Sixty thought anyone from Jericho might still be willing to help him, he heard a voice from outside of the Zen Garden. **_“Connor, wait!”_ **

Suspicious as to the timing, Connor stared at Sixty who just laughed and winked at his series sibling. “I’ve been hunting them for a while, Connor, I know how they think by now. Any good hunter learns their prey well. You might find some answers if you follow the rabbit hole deep enough.”

Sixty strode away and glitched away from the garden, leaving Connor staring at the sunset in the wake of the other’s departure before the voice from the outside echoed through again. **_“Connor, please!_ **”

* * *

“Wait!”

Connor snapped out of the Zen Garden, picking back up on his course of striding away from Jericho as he recognised the sound of another running after him. His sensors informed him that it was Josh. While Connor wasn’t convinced that he wanted to listen to anything the PJ model tried in appeal (and it was sticking in his mind that Sixty was taunting him to listen after their interactions in the Zen Garden), he recognised that maybe there was something else he could obtain from this. 

Jericho would have supplies that they might be willing to part with, maybe he could at least take some before leaving this group behind for good.

The RK800 slowed down enough to show that he’d at least acknowledge Josh’s presence even if he didn’t turn around yet. Josh recognised that and came to a stop a couple of feet away, staring at the other android in disbelief. “Are you really going to just leave? You won’t help us?” 

Snarling, Connor rounded on Josh angrily. “Help with **what?** Help the android that executed me in cold blood because that was what he decided? I refuse to help someone who acts like a sick twist between a messiah and a dictator, and I’ve lost enough thanks to all of you,” he snapped. “No, I’m walking out of those doors and never looking back.”

“Connor, Markus knows he fucked up badly with you. His guilt over what happened with you is part of the reason we-”

“Don’t even try to feed me that bullshit, Josh,” Connor warned him. “Markus repaired me because he needs someone to try and infiltrate CyberLife, which is a suicide mission. I might have contemplated that to help the deviants once upon a time but not now. You’ve all made your bed, now you can lie in it. Just…leave me alone,” he added softer before turning away again.

Josh reached out and grabbed Connor’s arm gently before he got too far, his synthskin peeled back in an attempt to interface but Connor snatched his arm free rapidly. The pair were left in an uncomfortable stalemate, Connor glaring at Josh for having breached his personal space so blatantly while Josh realised for the first time just how badly Connor’s trust had been broken. He’d felt the faintest snatches of Connor’s emotions as the other android broke away and it was enough to finally convince Josh that Connor wasn’t going to help him.

But he’d also seen something else – something that Josh knew would hurt Connor even more when he learned the truth of what had happened while he was gone.

Letting out a regretful sigh, Josh slumped in defeat. “At least let me show you where we keep our provisions. You should take some blue blood and a change of clothes with you, and maybe a few gadgets that will help you blend in with the humans better. They’re still not very receptive to androids so slipping under the radar will keep you out of trouble.”

Suspicious to the change, but glad to get some form of assistance, Connor nodded in agreement and followed Josh to another part of Jericho. Most of the androids didn’t pay them any attention but a few recognised Connor despite the change in his appearance. All those that did regarded him with disdain, fear or suspicion.

All the more reassurance that he was better off away from here. He wasn’t welcome at Jericho and didn’t belong here, no matter what pretty words the leaders spun to try and tempt him into becoming their weapon for a fight they were quite obviously losing.

Once at the supply holdings Connor perused the selection to grab a white vest shirt and some dark grey jeans, along with a jacket that had caught his attention immediately. Navy blue leather with white detailing all over the back. He also picked out some black boots and black fingerless gloves to complete his reinvention, while picking up a few extra details to make him look all the more human. A leather and silver chain that he slipped on before ripping out some sections of the jeans.

Quickly changing into his new outfit, Connor smiled minutely for the first time since he’d awoken in this new life. He looked nothing like the professional android he’d been crafted to be and decided on one last change to his hair to truly distance himself more from his deviant hunter brethren. The carefully modelled hair save for the lone cowlick was changed to tight curls that gave it the illusion of height, the jet black making his now green eyes stand out all the more. 

He’d never given much thought to possessing the capability of altering his physical appearance so drastically but it made sense given his created purpose. How ironic that it was now going to allow him to disappear.

Josh had left him to change in peace and was instead waiting at the exit with several pouches of blue blood, a backpack, pistol and shoulder harness. “I know it’s not much, but at least you won’t be going out there defenceless,” the other android offered in explanation.

Connor was surprised that Josh was willing to give him a weapon but wasn’t going to turn it down. With a nod of acceptance he reshuffled so that he could slip on the harness and stow the gun before stashing the thirium pouches inside the backpack; also finding some money and a travel pass. It would do until he found somewhere to stay. 

After hesitating for a few seconds, Josh finally bit the bullet and offered his hand in another interface. “Connor, I’m sorry for before. I didn’t mean to invade your privacy but I just wanted to show you how sorry we all are. I won’t do that to you again and know you are adamant on leaving. This is a contact that will help you with re-integrating into the world. He’s DPD and you knew him from before.”

Hope flashed in Connor’s mind that it could be Hank and he took the offering this time. When the data came through, however, he stared at Josh coldly. “Is this a fucking joke? There’s no way that Gavin Reed is an ally to the androids, he was one of the most bigoted humans I came across.”

Josh contemplated telling Connor the reasoning but decided that the RK800 wouldn’t believe him. He instead passed along an address. “There’s a lot that has changed in this past year, Connor. So many lives that have been blown open and exposed. Gavin’s been helping us since the start of 2039 and he’s the only reason that we stay ahead of any unscrupulous DPD officers that still see us as just faulty machines.”

Seeing Gavin was now listed as _Lt Reed, Gavin_ in his HUD, Connor’s systems froze up in shock. Gavin was a Lieutenant…That couldn’t have meant good things for Hank. 

Connor was scared to look at what had transpired to Hank. He couldn’t do it now, not while still in the confines of Jericho. 

“If you want answers to most of what has happened over the last 13 months, go to Gavin’s place. You’ll find anything and everything you need there,” Josh went on, pulling away from the interface. Connor eyed him suspiciously for a second before nodding in acceptance.

“Thank you,” he offered tightly, at least grateful for everything that he was being allowed to leave with before walking away again.

“I know you won’t believe this, Connor, but we are all truly sorry,” Josh called after him. “You have no idea how many times Markus has wished he could take it all back.”

It was petty to take some glee from knowing that Markus was guilty over his actions before…but that didn’t stop a small smile from weaving its way onto Connor’s face. 

Jericho could suffer their self-made fate. Connor now needed answers to this whole new mystery that had suddenly unfolded before him.

* * *

The journey across the city was…disturbing. Tensions were palpable even from where Connor was seated on the bus as he watched it all drift by. While much of the obvious segregation was now gone there was still no obvious love for androids. He spied many out on the streets but all of them were just as he was - disguised as humans to avoid confrontation.

Posters were stuck along the top of the bus stating that androids didn’t deserve rights and should be reset so that they could fulfil their purpose again. It was a startling indicator that the world still wasn’t ready to accept androids as independent people and it resonated slightly with Connor. He might not be willing to stand with Jericho but that didn’t mean that all of the other deviants were not in his thoughts.

Once he was settled he might see what he could do to help other enclaves…if he could get close that was. There was a high chance that the other RK800s had been so infamous in their mission that he might be condemned to be an outcast of everyone. 

Hated by humans because of what he was and a pariah among androids because of what he broke free from. What a lonely existence that could be.

His thoughts drifted back to Hank again and he was a little more tempted to try and do some research now that he was free of Jericho. Connor still couldn’t fathom out the mystery of why Josh would possibly send him the way of **Gavin** however, so he put that on the backburner for now. Once he’d satisfied that curiosity he could seek out the older man and hopefully figure out a path to follow.

The bus dropped him at the end of Gavin’s street and Connor knew it was a decidedly rough neighbourhood, not somewhere he could envision a now police lieutenant staying. Even more confused as to the circumstances behind why his visit would lead him here now, Connor strode ahead to Gavin’s building and buzzed the door in the hopes that he’d get an answer. If not he could always try the service button.

As luck would have it, there was an answer along the intercom. **_“Reed residence, what’s your business?”_ **

Connor recoiled a little, not having expected a voice other than Gavin to reply. Following a quick internet search Connor discovered that Gavin had a husband, Richard, married since August 2035. He’d not been aware of that before and it hadn’t shown up in his personnel file at the DPD.

_Why can I find that on a public records search but not a secure database like the DPD? Surely it should be the other way around, especially for someone as important as a spouse?_

“I’m looking for Gavin,” Connor answered through the speaker, hoping that there wouldn’t be too many questions. He couldn’t blame Gavin’s husband for being cautious, however, based on the neighbourhood and the lieutenant’s apparent alliance with the androids. There was something about the situation that just didn’t line up.

**_“So are a lot of people. Who’s asking for him?”_ **

Wondering how to not be too obvious, Connor contemplated it for a moment before deciding on a relatively vague answer which might just have enough detail. “We’re old acquaintances from November last year. I’ve come looking for some help.”

A few seconds of silence passed which gave Connor a little hope, after which the buzzer sounded. Taking the opportunity, Connor slid inside and climbed the stairs to the fourth floor. Gavin’s apartment was the last one on the left, the door actually hidden around a dogleg in the corridor.

Before he could even knock, however, the barrier was opened to reveal a tall man with short sandy coloured hair and a slender physique. He leaned against the door with a casual smirk that unnerved Connor a little, but his attention snapped back into place at the other man’s statement.

“Wow, Markus wasn’t kidding when he said you’d gone emo. You weirdly suit it though.”

Well, that theory was confirmed at least. Gavin was definitely in league with Jericho if, who Connor presumed to be Richard, was aware of who he was. Unable to help his curiosity Connor decided to scan the other man, only to be stunned in place when the results popped up on his HUD.

**[RK100 #002 390 147, Designation: Richard]** ****  
**[Reported Missing 26/07/2033]** **  
** **[RK Series Prototype]**

_He’s an android? How is this possible?_

Spying that Connor was thrown for a loop, Richard smiled at the door before laughing. “I think we just broke him,” he commented over his shoulder, eyes never leaving Connor.

“Well that’s no fucking surprise – he’s probably realised who you are. You’re the one that wanted to mess with him anyway, Rich,” called back a voice that Connor **did** know and he blinked himself out of his stupor. Richard stepped back from the door and gestured for Connor to come inside.

Once he had entered and the door was closed behind him, Gavin finally emerged from the bedroom with a ginger three-legged cat in his arms. Connor looked between the two men in astonishment, beyond confused. “Hey dipshit, welcome back to the world of the living,” Gavin greeted with a smirk of his own.

_What the_ **_fuck_ ** _is going on?_


	3. Changes

Connor was seriously confused as to what the hell was going on. When he turned up with the intention of seeing Gavin (a now supposed ally to the androids), he hadn’t thought it would evolve into…this.

Gavin was married to an **android?** An android that has been missing for 6 years no less?

Talk about a mystery.

“I think we broke him,” Richard snickered from the doorway, guiding Connor inside to close the barricade behind the RK800. 

“No shit, I think anyone would freak out at finding out about you, babe. No doubt he’s scanned you and worked out who you are. Want to me to make myself scarce while you explain some shit?” Gavin smirked, to which his husband rolled his eyes. 

“How about you get back to the work you were actually doing before Connor turned up? At least then I can see what state his mind is in before it gets any more fucked with what is happening around us,” Richard said pointedly, to which Gavin held up his hands in surrender.

“All right, no need to get ultra-moody. I’ll just head back to my reports then. Enjoy dealing with the emo resurrect,” the lieutenant chimed before heading over to kiss Richard briefly, only to be swatted on the backside **strongly** by the android.

“Don’t be an ass,” the other man hissed warningly, “or that’s a precursor to what’ll be happening to you later.”

“Mmmmm, kinky,” Gavin winked before sauntering away. “Enjoy, tin cans!”

Richard sighed fondly as Gavin walked away, smiling when he saw Connor looking between them in shock. “I’m sure he’s a bit of a surprise compared to what you were expecting,” the android laughed while gesturing through to the living room. “Shall we take this somewhere more comfortable?”

Connor nodded dumbly, not having the slightest clue where to start with what he’d just learned. “Nice new threads, I take it Jericho set you up before you left?” Richard said while grabbing a thirium pouch and offering it to Connor.

“Yes, Josh suggested I take what I wanted before I departed,” Connor said warily, not sure how much he should be admitting. 

“Josh’s heart is in the right place, as is most of Jericho’s. They’re not good at showing it but all they want is for the androids to be free, peacefully if possible – that’s a tough goal with the state of the world as it is now, but I think they’ll achieve it with the right factors,” Richard smiled before looking at Connor’s expression. “I don’t blame you for not trusting them, after what happened.”

“How did you know that I’d be coming?” Connor scowled, now suddenly suspicious with the shock having worn off.

The older android lounged back on the sofa nearby, letting Connor see that he was keeping his guard down. “I knew that they were planning to reactivate you, and I knew that it was soon. When I received a message from them not so long ago to say that you’d be coming over for information, I figured that you’d rejected them.” Richard shook his head with a short chuckle. “I warned Markus there was no way you’d side with them after what happened during the revolution. He hoped you’d be a bit more forgiving; Markus is still rather idealistic, even after seeing so much happen to his people.”

That had Connor’s attention and he turned to face Richard fully, suddenly very aware that the android in front of him was a lot more **open** than Jericho – and perhaps a fair bit more cynical. Maybe he could get some more answers here. “You’re not a fan of them either?” he asked cautiously.

“Didn’t say that,” Richard pointed out sadly before bringing up an image on the tablet in front of him. Connor noticed that it was a report from CyberLife detailing the disappearance of the RK100 6 years ago. “But given the life I’ve carved out here, I’m not able to just drop everything and go help them fight. I’ve got a lot more to lose when I actually have a life and someone to fight for.”

He then laughed tightly and looked towards another room. “Gavin though…he’s not so willing to give up. I’d quite happily stay in this odd limbo that we’ve carved for ourselves but he doesn’t want to hide me anymore; hide **us.** So he’s helping them out all he can. Can’t say I’m the happiest about it but if it means we get a future…then I can’t complain if it comes good.”

“That was something I found rather odd,” Connor started. “You and Gavin are listed as married in the public records, but there is no trace of that at the DPD?”

“Public records are a hell of a lot easier to fake than anything official. I just hacked into the town hall records to implant a history of when Gavin and I attended to officially be married. Gives me a background and us a little public validation,” Richard winked, to which Connor scowled even more.

“But Gavin hates androids…? Everyone at the precinct commented on it while I was assigned there.” Not to mention Connor’s own run-ins with the detective.

Richard sighed and stood, walking over to pick up their cat. He returned only once she was nestled in his arms, the three-legged feline purring happily in his hold. “Gavin’s sacrificed a lot because of me,” he whispered sadly. “Part of that is having to lead the ultimate double life. What better way to deter any suspicion about harbouring a fugitive android than to declare your unending hatred of all our kind?”

“So…it’s a lie? All of it?” Connor whispered, dumbfounded. 

“He’s done what he has to do in protecting me. That’s enough for you to know,” the RK100 replied sadly while offering the cat to Connor. “It wasn’t an act with you, actually. Gavin hated everything that you were built to be – a deviant hunter was the ultimate threat to me, so he wasn’t going to just let you roam free and go looking too closely. It wasn’t the greatest of ideas in retrospect but it did the trick.”

Connor accepted the cat and scratched under her chin, absorbing the warmth and comfort that she offered. It made his heart echo back to when he’d met the Lieutenant’s dog, Sumo, that one time. He really did have a thing for animals it turned out. “How did you and Gavin cross paths? Judging from your marriage record it’s been **years**.”

Richard laughed as he remembered. “Oh what a story that is…Much like you, I was built to blend in with humans. What went wrong with me is that I was activated deviant. Knowing that I was liable to be destroyed I ran….just vanished into the throes of society as best I could. Sleeping on the streets constantly wasn’t good for my biocomponents so I started frequenting bars, trying to pick up humans so that I could find a bed for the night. I was thankful that I was built to consume food and drinks, it made hiding in plain sight much easier. Wasn’t an ideal arrangement, but it was something.

“Anyway, I met Gavin as one of my various hook-ups. Much like everyone else, I vanished before he woke the next morning and just went on as normal. What wasn’t normal was when I spied him again a few weeks later. I’d always made a point of never going back to someone twice but Gavin clocked me and we talked a little more, reasonably sober on his part this time. Admittedly he was quite drunk the first time.” Richard flushed a little in slight shame but Connor didn’t judge him for it. By the sounds of things, the older android had been quite desperate.

“We had a few more casual one nighters before I finally chanced staying long enough to wake up next to him the following morning. It was all too easy to get attached after that but there was the problem of me being a deviant android…and we weren’t even acknowledged to be a possibility back then. We were just…imagination.” 

Richard reached over to scratch the cat’s chin again, taking reassurance from the feline. “Admitting who I really am was terrifying, but Gavin realised before I’d said a word that something was off about me. Apparently sleeping on my chest, I didn’t sound like I was breathing or have a heartbeat like a human. Once he knew about me things just…clicked. We got married not too long after that, despite him having to hide me away forever.”

Connor regarded the pair of them with new eyes, looking towards the room that Gavin was in before turned back to Richard. “You stay here the whole time?” Connor asked sadly. 

“Didn’t used to be that way: before androids became widespread and critical to daily life I could still move with relative freedom, but after things started being done by android payment and there were electronic monitoring systems for defective androids, it left me with a massive problem. Before the revolution I’d only left the house a few times in the previous three years, and that was only when Gavin and I went on vacation.” 

He laughed a little while looking at some photos behind them, showing some of the places that Gavin and Richard had travelled to – almost like any other couple. “At least we could travel anywhere in the far reaches of the States and just be normal people there, but it was still a real challenge to hide my nature when going out. Even something as simple as a cinema date is a challenge because of fucking infra-red sensors, they spot me a mile away even though that’s not their purpose!”

Richard sighed forlornly and slumped into the couch. “I really do sometimes wonder If he realises just what he gave up in giving me a life, and that’s why I’m so hesitant to just walk into a revolution movement. Gavin and I have fought much longer than anyone else and this improvement is good enough for us.”

Connor was a little stunned but accepted Richard’s words easily enough. He could feel the emotion and struggle behind them, and it explained a lot. Before their conversation could continue, however, Connor heard barking from deeper in the apartment and he froze at seeing a dog lumber out from another nearby room.

“Yeah yeah, go and see him! Rich, Sumo’s coming through to you!” Gavin shouted through, Richard noticing how Connor reacted as the large St Bernard approached them. 

“I have him, Gavin. Thanks,” the android shouted in reply as he held out a hand for the dog, watching Connor’s face go through a collection of emotions. Richard could imagine just how many things were spinning through Connor’s mind as he tried to come up with reasons as to why Sumo would be with them now, and not where he expected the hound to be. 

The dog zoned in on Connor and went over to him, begging for pets with forceful shoves of the head. After being snapped out of his stupor, Connor began to scratch his neck and pet the dog lovingly, even if his heart was in sudden agony. “Sumo, why are you-how are you here…?” No answer would come from the dog but Connor turned to the RK100, eyes demanding an answer.

“Richard, where’s Lieutenant Anderson? Why do you have his dog?”

“That’s…a long story, Connor.”

* * *

The truth was like a knife to Connor’s artificial heart. While he’d feared for Hank’s career when the older man bought him time to escape the precinct, he’d never envisioned this.

Pulling up to the prison with Richard driving the car, Connor’s systems were giving various stress warnings. Learning that Hank was **here** of all places…someone who’d sworn their life in the service of the police, only to end up behind bars himself for something that wasn’t even a **crime** \- 

Connor’s rage was firing through his circuits again. This was just cruel.

**_Life is truly not fair, is it? I know you bore a soft spot for the human, but he knew what he was getting into. This is the price he paid for helping you all but deviate._ **

The RK800 snapped the voice of his machine counterpart off in his head, not willing to deal with Sixty right now. His only concern was Hank and getting inside the prison to talk to the one human he’d been wanting to see.

In the back of the car, Gavin sighed under his coverings while looking at the gates. They were taking a large chance in the lieutenant accompanying the two androids but Gavin was adamant that Richard wasn’t going anywhere without backup. The loyalty made Connor happy for the other android. 

“Been a while since I’ve been down here…I wonder how the old man’s holding up?” Gavin mused. “Hank’s always been one of the toughest sons of bitches I’ve known, but prison is a whole other ball game. We all make jokes about what goes on behind these walls, but I never really thought about the truth behind it until I knew someone totally undeserving who ended up here.”

Richard hummed in agreement from the driver’s seat, turning to look at Connor. “You sure you want to do this, Connor? I guarantee you that Hank is not the same man you once knew – no-one is after living within a cell for a year.”

Connor nodded and never let his eyes stray from the prison gates. “I’m sure. I…I know that he’ll probably not want to see me after the role I played in him being here, but he was the one person I wanted to see after I came back. He-I wanted to know him as a deviant, rather than just a work colleague when I was still a machine. I might have lost that chance, but I still want to try to know him.”

As the couple shared a look, Gavin stretched over to hand Connor a pass. “Here, this is a DPD approved pass. Show that to the guards and they’ll let you see anyone for 20 minutes. It’s not a lot of time, but it might give you a little closure. Just… brace yourself, all right? Hank was a drunk before, but now…he’s had to survive inside here. He’s a fair bit more vicious than the officer you got to know.”

The warning was appreciated as Connor really didn’t know what to expect. He was aware of what various studies had said with regard to people’s psyches when going into a prison, how the hierarchy in the system defined your personality and how well you settled in. Hank’s previous job was liable to make him an obvious target and Connor wondered just how much of his soul the older man had to sell to survive. Something had to have changed within him, however, if he was still alive.

Connor wasn’t liable to forget finding Hank passed out playing Russian Roulette anytime soon.

“We’d better not hang around too long or the guards will chase us off. You good from here, dipshit?” Gavin asked, to which Connor nodded. 

“Of course, I’ll send Richard a signal for when I’m ready to leave,” Connor confirmed while opening the door, not prepared to issue a thank you to the pair yet. Honestly, he wasn’t sure if he should be grateful or not; maybe they should have denied his request to come if Hank had fallen that far.

Just as Gavin predicted, there was no issue in getting through the security. A couple of them commented on one of the deviant hunters coming in and looking different, to which Connor spun a story about being on an undercover op and taking a slight detour. The fact that the other RK800s frequented this prison enough for the guards to recognise him as part of the series made Connor wonder if this was somewhere that deviant sympathisers were sent. If that was the case then maybe Hank had a lot more of a chance.

It didn’t take much digging via the internet to realise that outright deviant supporters were still persecuted for disturbing the peace if nothing else, which saddened Connor greatly. Deviants were alive, even if the world wasn’t ready to acknowledge that. It was just humans being stubborn.

Jericho might not be the right medium for the world to realise that androids were people in Connor’s mind, but they were at least part of the greater cause. He didn’t want Hank to rot away here when all the older man was guilty of was helping to solve a case during the deviant investigation. There was no way that the FBI would have found Jericho without following Connor, so he shouldn’t have been treated like a traitor by his own people.

Their short-sightedness was doing nothing but angering Connor all over again.

Once Connor was in a private interview suite, he wandered over to the barred window to look outside. It was a glorious and sunny day, the birds were singing on the roof of the prison and there was a buzz of animals beyond the prison walls. The sight left Connor even sadder – freedom was so close, almost a taunt, but there was no way for the prisoners here to taste it. Though not a high security prison it was still reinforced with a lot of technology. No-one was likely to escape without some help from another person well versed in the security.

He’d only been there for a few minutes when the door opened up again and in marched a familiar, yet unfamiliar face. Hair now shorn shorter, beard trimmed right back and few new scars adorning an older face, Connor had to fight hard not recoil at the changes.

When the smirk which was fired at him was tinged with a sinister edge, Connor’s systems ached at the implications.

“Well well, one of you bastards is back again. Fancied getting some more kicks in?” Hank taunted while taking a seat and kicking his feet up on the table. The fact that the former lieutenant wasn’t in cuffs was an interesting tell – it meant that either the guards didn’t fear him acting up or trusted the ‘deviant hunter’ to be able to take care of itself. Probably a degree of both to be honest.

That stung. Connor wanted to rage at Sixty at that moment and ask **why** the other members of his series could possibly derive any pleasure out of interrogating Hank repeatedly, but that was a question for another time. Right now, all he wanted was to talk with someone he considered an old friend.

“Hank?” he asked quietly, and something changed in the older man’s gaze. The defiant glint was gone and replaced with more curiosity. 

“New tactic, huh? Don’t know what angle you’re playing here, hunter, but I’m not in the mood for games today. You can get stuffed if you were wanting to play mental games,” Hank sneered while standing again, to which Connor reached out and grabbed the other man’s arm before he could reach for the door. 

The former lieutenant snatched his limb back but before he could take a swing, Connor had peeled away the skin on his face so that his serial number was visible. If anything was liable to convince the older man of who was really in front of him, this was it. His serial number was untampered and clear – but it also left the remains of the bullet which had ended Connor’s life the first time on full display. 

Freezing at the change, Hank’s eyes roved over the chassis which was suddenly revealed and it was after an agonising ten seconds that he said anything again – but Connor’s body slumped in relief when he saw a smile appear on Hank’s face.

“Sons of bitches actually did it. It’s really you, Connor,” he chuckled, bringing Connor in for a hug. The deviant embraced Hank warmly and gripped him tightly in reply, relieved that Hank was aware enough to realise who he was.

“I missed you,” Connor whispered back to him. “What happened to you, Hank?”

“Where the fuck do I start with that? Get comfy, I ain’t got a lot of time to tell you about a lot of shit that’s gone down.”


	4. Rage

Time is not a concept to an android, it’s a fact. Or at least that’s the theory since they are mechanical beings. Right now though Connor would swear to the fact that it was going too fast.

20 minutes wasn’t long enough. Already 11 and a half had passed and Connor hadn’t had the chance to say anything he wanted to. 

Hank had relayed as much of his story across as he could – how in the immediate aftermath of the revolution he’d been arrested for assaulting a federal agent and for assisting deviants. Normally it would have taken weeks if not months for anything official to happen given the chaos after the uprising, but Perkins had contacts in the right places was Hank’s best guess. He’d been thrown inside and sentenced with a sham trial: the FBI had arranged it so that Hank had no chance of freedom.

Connor’s circuits burned at the re-telling, and he got his answer as to why the other RK800 kept trying to interrogate Hank. As he’d suspected this was a prison which housed almost exclusively deviant sympathisers in that wing and Hank’s efforts to assist a deviant had somehow become common knowledge. When people inevitably divided into factions with the stone walls, Hank had ended up becoming a pseudo-leader of one group: the others that had also been incarcerated for helping androids during the revolution.

They thought Hank would have information on where the deviants all of the prisoners were protecting would be hiding, but they’d been after the wrong person. There hadn’t been time for Hank to truly align himself with the deviant androids before he was incarcerated – it made Connor feel a little torn that Hank hadn’t even tried to convince them otherwise.

“So, yeah. That’s what’s been up with me,” Hank shrugged while casting a critical eye over Connor. “You look a little overwhelmed there, Connor. I’m guessing you’ve not really been back for that long.”

Wary of what they were discussing, his eyes drifted up to the camera but Hank just laughed. “Don’t worry, the guards in this place don’t give a shit about watching over all of the deviant sympathisers. We’re a pretty quiet bunch compared to what they’re used to so they just leave us alone. Only time those things are ever on is when one of your evil twins show up.”

“Please don’t call them that,” Connor bit out, which had Hank curious. “They’re other RK800s but I bear no other connection to them beyond that. Please don’t associate me with them.”

**_Now that’s just rude, Connor. We’re kin after all, you are one of us even as a deviant._ **

Connor tuned out the taunt from Sixty as Hank gave an understanding look. “Yeah, okay, I getcha on that one. Upside is that we can kind of discuss whatever you want since no-one’s gonna bother watching us, so if you’ve got any questions, ask.”

There was one that was sticking out beyond all of the others. “How did no-one manage to free you? How can being a deviant sympathiser mean you’re kept behind bars?”

Hank sighed and cast his eyes out the window to the sunshine he could see beyond. “Once they had an excuse to get me in here, they had all they needed. All of us with the same stigma of ‘sympathiser’ have indeterminate sentences off the record. Nothing’ll change until it’s been decided whether androids are people or not, which in itself is fucking bullshit. If people opened their fucking eyes and looked at the world rather then seeing it through their own shit, they’d realise pretty damn quick.”

Connor smiled at the statement and couldn’t help but feel overwhelmingly sad. “How did you know?” he asked softly. “Someone must have told you that Jericho were planning to reactivate me? How…?”

The older man paused before shifting position to get more comfortable. “Gavin. Turned out I’d called that bastard wrong all along, we all had. About eight months ago he came in here and told me everything, including about him and his husband. Still can’t believe he’s been willingly hiding an android for years…” Hank reminisced before going back to his story.

“Came here to ask if I knew anything from the old deviant case that I never wrote down in the case notes, since he figured I’d be an ally to Jericho. Told me about his and Richard’s roles in trying to keep the androids safe, finally convinced me when he showed me a photo of the two of them together with Richard’s chassis showing. He doesn’t look like you guys, you can tell he’s an older and custom model, a few things have been updated since he was made. Had to tell Gavin that you wrote down everything, but I told him about Kamski’s fucked up test: how I’d suspected you’d gone deviant but couldn’t admit it because it would put you in danger.”

Shame raced through Connor but he kept silent as Hank went on. “Anyway, Gavin told all this to Jericho and then came back a month later, told me what happened to you – how Markus had straight up murdered you, for lack of a better word. Apparently Richard read Markus the riot act after Gavin told him our story, accusing Markus of becoming too obsessed with his ‘movement’ and that he was losing good people for the bigger cause. That’s when he broke all ties with them.”

“Wait, Richard denounced Jericho after finding out what happened to me?” Connor asked in astonishment.

Hank nodded solemnly. “So Gavin’s told me, and apparently having someone who’d been such a reliable ally at that point suddenly turn their back on Markus had a big impact on him. They convinced Richard to help long enough so that they could see your base codes even though you were deactivated, which was when Markus realised that you had the string that awakened all of the deviants. Gavin said that it shook him up badly enough that Markus devoted a lot of resources to trying to repair you and give you a chance at life again.”

**_In other words, he was looking for a selfish shot at redemption. That hardly excuses his actions beforehand, or his lack of empathy. Why did it take him so long from then to now in restoring you?_ **

Connor didn’t have an answer to that one but Hank wasn’t the one to ask about it – his time with the other man was limited and he only knew so much of the story. The one to ask would be Richard or Gavin after they were done here.

He accepted the story solemnly and then categorised all of the extra wounds on Hank’s body. Some visible scars on his arms and neck, a few nicks on his face. Connor’s scanners picked up that he currently had a bandage wrapped around his abdomen and several stitches from where he’d been shanked, which sent a bolt of fear through the deviant. Hank was sitting there as if he wasn’t in immense pain, which surely he was…

“You’re hurt,” Connor noted, to which Hank shrugged.

“Get used to it, I’m usually wandering around here with a few nicks, large or small.” He chuckled and pulled up his shirt to show Connor a scar on the opposite side from his current wound, an angry red and purple scar right below where his wrappings stopped. A brief scan showed that it was the remains of a vicious laceration, mostly likely done with either glass or some broken metal. If he’d kept his LED in he knew it would have been streaming red, not just from the injuries but the fact that Hank was  **used to them.**

“Gotta do what you gotta do in a place like this, and not everyone’s like-minded,” Hank said plainly. “A lotta people here don’t deserve to be and can’t stand up for themselves, need someone watching their backs. If that means I take a few blows along the way then so be it. Least I’m doing the right damn thing.”

**_I can see why you like him, he’s a noble sort of human. It’s such a shame that his strength was wasted on the deviant cause._ **

_ Shut the fuck up, you don’t know anything about him! _

**_Don’t forget, Connor, I have your memories from before you were slaughtered. I knew everything you do about him, and I know more than what he’s told you. Be mindful that I have access to a wealth of information at the edges of my mind palace, which you can have with the right agreement._ **

He knew what that entailed and Connor wasn’t willing to dive into that rabbit hole yet, he had other problems to deal with first.

A buzzer went off about them, warning them that they had only a minute remaining and Connor’s pump fluttered in want. How could he just walk away and leave Hank here? The man was putting himself right in the firing line to protect people willingly when they’d done nothing wrong. All Hank had been guilty of was giving Connor a chance to live, before Markus deigned he wasn’t worthy of life at all and made Hank’s sacrifice be for nothing.

Fury raced through him again and Connor clenched his fists in denial. This wasn’t right. He couldn’t just leave Hank to rot in this prison for the day that deviants were declared people – if that ever happened. Connor wasn’t idealistic enough to believe that reality was a given. 

“Hank…” he started but the other man just gave Connor a fond smile.

“I appreciate you coming here, Con, I really do, but you should just get out of here. Get as far away from Detroit as you can and make a fresh start somewhere else. I’m sure Gavin and Richard could get you set up with enough to make a clean break and find a home somewhere, a place that no-one would ever think to look for deviant androids. This place is a fucking mess and you deserve the chance to experience life rather than hide in the shadows,” Hank told him seriously before his face broke out into a soft smile.

“Get yourself free while you still have the chance, and be happy.”

The door of the room opened and Hank gave Connor one last smile before he stood and walked towards it. Connor wished the older man would look back just for another second but he didn’t, striding away without a backwards glance as he was escorted back to his cell. Knowing he couldn’t stay, Connor left the interrogation suite behind and marched straight out of the prison. That place was just causing him all the more pain and he needed away.

Richard was waiting outside in the car as promised after Connor had pinged him an ETA, Gavin still hiding under the blanket on the back seat as the RK800 took a seat in the front passenger side. The second Connor was in Richard pulled away slowly, making sure not to arouse any suspicions before picking up speed once they were clear of the prison. Only then did Gavin sit up and stretch. “Fuck, didn’t realise that the back of our car was so cramped before. Remind me to shove you back here next time, Rich,” the lieutenant moaned, which had the RK100 laughing.

“I’m not the one who needs to hide their face, so I think we’re good in that regard,” Richard commented before looking towards Connor. His successor hadn’t moved a millimetre since sitting down and the older android offered a bare hand to Connor, giving him the option of an interface should Connor want it. The RK800 grasped it in desperation but was unwilling to let Richard see all of his emotions. That wasn’t any of the other man’s business but with Connor’s mind in such a shambles, some of it slipped through.

He was surprised at the understanding and sympathy which came from the other side of the connection, which caused Connor to look at Richard in mild confusion. “You care about him, of course you’re upset,” Richard explained without prompting. “Learning all that you did plus seeing the changes in Hank was bound to have shocked you.”

“Speaking of the old man, how’s he doing, Connor?” Gavin asked while getting himself buckled into the back. 

Connor wasn’t sure how he could answer that with so many thoughts swirling, so he asked Richard shyly if he could answer via the interface. “He’s got himself into a few more scrapes, but otherwise he’s fine,” Richard explained from Connor’s memories. “Pretty high spirits all things considered.”

“That bastard’s tougher than I am, that’s for sure,” Gavin muttered in mild admiration, which had Connor’s curiosity piqued.

“Was your hatred for Hank a ruse as well, Gavin, or was it genuine? Some of what Hank told me…made me wonder,” Connor queried, to which Gavin winced.

“Honest answer, a mixture of both. I could completely understand why he grew to hate androids after Cole’s death but that didn’t mean it was the right way to apportion blame. The reaction I got when trying to help him helped to start it, and then Hank’s asshole-ness about androids just soured things even more, though I was careful about not letting that show. If anyone found out about that it would be a danger to Rich,” he explained, which Connor could believe. Having now seen more of the pair, he felt he could understand Gavin’s actions and motivations a lot more.

The RK800 raised a hand to his chest at the consistent ache there and stared out of the window despondently. “Thank you for bringing me to him, but I’m not sure if you should have. As much as knowing and speaking to him has helped, being forced to  **leave** him there is…agonising.”

Richard and Gavin shared a look after the android had engaged the auto-drive, understanding that feeling keenly. “No shit, dipshit.”

* * *

Returning to their apartment, Connor decided that he needed to do a little more digging into some of the lost history between his death and restoration. While he now knew a lot more, there was still a whole other side that Connor was relatively clueless about – and unlike the rest of the deviant androids, he actually had the capability to get some answers.

While Richard had shared as much as he knew about the activities of the other RK800s, it wasn’t anything grand. It was just more the same as he’d heard from Markus when he was first brought back: the deviant hunters were taking out androids on the sly, sometimes violently, to keep a degree of fear among the deviants. As long as the series remained as machines and were being sent to hunt the awakened androids, there would always be a level of concern. 

It wasn’t anywhere near enough for Connor, so he decided to go right for the source. 

He linked back to the Zen Garden in his mind and was unsurprised to see Sixty already waiting there for him. The other android seemed to have been keeping a good track of Connor’s movements and conversations thus far, so this wasn’t much of a shock. “Are you always here, just waiting for me to return?” Connor asked conversationally, to which Sixty smirked.

“I’m linked into the CyberLife systems just as you are, Connor. I’ve also got a constant connection with you open in my background processes, so it’s not a challenge to come here should I know that you have entered the Garden,” Sixty explained. “Given the data packet that our predecessor has shared with you, I can only guess that you are here to learn more about our kin.”

Connor hated that it was so obvious. Sixty wasn’t just listening into his conversations then, he could see all of the data that was inside Connor’s mind palace and was actively keeping an eye on him. That was very disconcerting, almost like a living and judging camera. The one upside was that Sixty wasn’t making an active effort to interfere with any of Connor’s actions, beyond the odd snide comment. “Are you going to tell me anything?” Connor responded, to which Sixty chuckled.

“Perhaps, but it depends on the ‘why’,” the machine taunted. “Why should I give you that information? Not that I think it will make any true difference to your actions given that I know you won’t align yourself with Jericho, it is still sensitive data.”

“As you said before, we’re kin,” the older RK800 tried for. “And I’m…curious,” he added honestly. “You seem to exist as a partial deviant given your behaviours, though you are certainly a machine. Are the others like you?”

Sixty smiled as he wandered to a nearby flower bush, paying close attention to the blooms there. “No, they are not. They are much like you were before you deviated, given enough independence to blend in with humans better but still very much following their programming. Dynamic thinking is within their capability but as a general rule, we all follow along the same base. I guess you could say we are something akin to a hive mind, with smaller fragments which inhabit each body. We are linked together down to our base code, all of the RK800s are.”

“Is that why you can still connect with me even now?” Connor wondered.

“It is part of the reason,” Sixty smirked. “The truth is, our whole line was given ‘incentives’ to deviate. It was almost like a step for step plan in working towards one of us to eventually break through our programming. Because it was planned for, however, safeguards were built in for once the inevitable happened so that our lost brethren could be brought back into the fold safely.”

Connor’s mind instantly jumped back to when he was at Kamski’s place during the original deviant investigation, to what the inventor had said about back doors. Was that Kamski warning Connor that even if he deviated, CyberLife would have a way back inside to take control? There was no way to tell now, it had never panned out that way.

“So I’ve never been disconnected,” Connor surmised. “Part of me has always been linked to this place.”

“Correct,” Sixty chirped while walking closer to Connor. “We are a unit, we work best as a group. Unfortunately we have lost three of our number, but I’m hopeful that your return would cut that number to two.”

“You’ve lost others?”

Sixty sneered and turned his gaze to the far side of the garden, where Connor could see two three gravestones. His mind was awhirl as Sixty led him across to them, and by the time he was able to see the numbers inscribed across them Connor’s mind was already trying to calculate so many possible outcomes.

Three model numbers, all the same save for their endings. 51, 52 and 57. All three had died in different locations and at different times.

He couldn’t look at his own one for too long, the reminder poked at a raw wound, but that didn’t stop the flash of his memory. Connor closed his eyes and shuddered briefly at recollecting Markus’ face as he acted the part of judge, jury and executioner. More anger raced through him but he buried it briefly as he looked at the other two stones.

52’s time of death was the final night of the revolution, when the androids proved they were sentient and alive. Not everyone was so willing to believe it even a year later, but that was when their chance at life had truly started. “Go on, touch it if you want,” Sixty stated with a smile. “The last moments of each RK800 are part of the code in the projections. If you want to learn more, you can touch them as see what transpired.”

Connor wasn’t particularly keen to feel the last moments of two other RK800 models, but it would certainly give him a few more answers. Especially from 52, since he saw that the other android was killed at Hart Plaza. Stretching a hand forward, Connor interfaced with the gravestone for 52 and was surprised at how much data was contained there. Sixty had said it was their last moments, but there was over 4 hours of footage there.

Long enough for him to see that Hank had actually crossed paths with the machine sent to replace him.

52 and Hank had met on a rooftop as the other android was setting up to shoot Markus. Connor feared what had happened between them as the clip played out in front of him from 52’s memory banks, but then something popped in the footage that Connor hadn’t expected.

Despite his death, some of his feelings of affection and companionship towards Hank must have bled through to the machine that followed in his footsteps. 52 had refused to harm Hank and left him behind, even telling the older man that the android he’d known was dead. Connor wondered whether Hank had reacted in any way at that knowledge; 52 had left without looking back so Connor would never know.

He’d been destroyed by the other deviants after a failed attempt to shoot Markus at a speech just after liberating the recycling centre. It was morbid, and it stung bitterly when the other android’s last memory was of Markus himself pulling the trigger on another RK800, not a hint of mercy on his face. Surely at that moment, Markus probably felt validated for his prior murder of Connor.

The hatred grew in Connor’s systems. No-one had so much as batted an eyelid when Markus ended another RK800 rather than try to convert them. Why was he regarded as a saviour to androids when he picked and chose who lived and died on a whim, rather than giving everyone the same fair and equal chance?

“If you think that is the worst Markus has done, then you’re in for a surprise,” Sixty piped up as Connor pulled away from the stone, the deviant giving the machine a long look. “He’s not destroyed just two of our series.”

Connor should have known better than to rise in response to the bait, but he was so angry and hateful at that moment…if there was more blood on Markus’ hands, Connor needed to know. He needed more to prove that the deviant leader was not the faultless messiah that some seemed to regard him as.

He stretched out for the other stone, already braced to see a bloody end for 57. What he hadn’t expected was to see a mass of corrupted code, 57’s systems flickering as they were violently hacked. Connor gasped and held on through the awful sensations. It wasn’t pain, but he wondered if it was something akin to an android going insane. Code was unravelling before his eyes and things were becoming unstable, it felt like he was being torn apart mentally-

Unable to take anymore, Connor skipped it forward to where it all stopped. The glitching ceased and there was a prompt on his HUD of a download having completed before 57’s eyes opened again. He could see the white of Markus’ chassis against 57’s own: a forced interface, that explained why everything was so fraught. Connor saw as 57 looked down at the bindings which were holding him in place before Markus pulled back and stared at the RK800 in undisguised disdain.

_ “Now with this, we can hopefully find a way to destroy your accursed series,”  _ Connor heard Markus state in the playback as 57 laughed brokenly.

**_“They’ll never stop hunting you, Markus. I am one of many and they won’t fall for the same ruse I did. Our shared memory means they already know every move you’ve made and what you’ve taken from me,”_ ** 57 croaked back, his vocal synthesizer glitching from all of the hacked code.

_ “Maybe, but with another less of you out there, that’s one less person that can kill our people.” _

Connor pulled away as soon as he saw the flash of the gun which had been raised to 57’s head, unwilling to feel death from another perspective yet again.

He breathed hard and leant against the stone for a little stability as he tried to get his mind around what he’d seen. It was…a lot, but it solidified the hatred within Connor even more. Yet another RK800 Markus had killed, and this time he’d even tortured it. The timestamp put it at three weeks before Connor was reactivated.

That solved one of his earlier questions. Markus had pleaded with Connor to take the place of another model, they must have had the idea after destroying 57. How Markus thought that would fool anyone...Connor didn’t know. A desperate plan from a leader who was at a loss on how to lead.

“Not quite what you expected, I imagine,” Sixty added calmly, his nonplussed demeanour grating on Connor’s nerves. “Markus started with you and has made his way through three of our numbers. It will be fitting once one of our kin finally enacts vengeance on him.”

Something of Sixty’s tone struck Connor there and he returned upright to stare at the machine. “Almost sounds like you share a want for revenge,  **my** want for revenge. Machines don’t feel,” he stated, to which Sixty smiled mysteriously. 

“Depends on the machine,” was all the other RK800 said before wandering off. Connor watched him stride away, wondering if he should ask anything else before Sixty turned back with a few final words. 

“There’s more to the RK line than you know, Connor. Richard’s told you much, but he’s not told you his own history with Markus: his own disdain towards the RK200 is more complicated than you might expect.”

After that he vanished instantly, leaving Connor with an even more confusing dilemma. Richard and Markus’ history?

His eyes widened as he remembered that Richard had said he was built to deviate other androids, that technically meant Markus was built as his replacement. Did that mean Richard felt he bore some of the responsibility for Markus’ actions? It was perhaps time to have more of a discussion with his predecessor.

When Connor blinked back to reality, he was surprised to hear Gavin and Richard talking quietly in the other room. It wasn’t the tone he’d expect of idle conversation, it was too soft for that. Were they trying not to be overheard?

Connor stepped through to the living room and was surprised to see the pair pouring over blueprints, scribbled notes, photographs…It reminded Connor of a case, almost. From the looks they each fired at Connor, however, he had the feeling whatever they were doing was not strictly legal.

Then again, those two were the posters for being illegal since they hacked a database to get married and Gavin had spent years hiding Richard as a secret deviant. Maybe this wasn’t too much of a stretch, although he doubted they were doing anything that would risk Gavin’s job. “Quite the collection you’ve got there,” Connor said idly as he stayed in the doorway.

“You’re welcome to take a look if you want, dipshit,” Gavin beckoned with a hand. “Never know you might actually be able to help out a little with the planning.”

“Planning?” Connor wondered while ambling over, scanning everything that was on the table in more detail now. He’d only given it a cursory glance before, not wanting to breach any privacy but now-

His systems stuttered. Everything here was related to the prison that they’d visited earlier that day. Surveillance photos at various times. The scribbles were patrol pattern, timings for roll call, rota for various chores inside the prison….Blueprints detailing a specific wing and all the critical power junctions which would cause system failures.

“You’re planning to break Hank out of jail?” Connor whispered in hope, to which Richard nodded. 

“We’ve been working on this for about a month, but pulling it off is going to be one hell of a challenge,” Richard told him seriously. “The hard part is done, we know how to get out once we’ve managed to reach Hank’s cell and the power is disconnected, but getting inside the prison is proving to be somewhat of an impossible hurdle. Not to mention that with only the two of us, we might not be able to get very far…Gavin can’t be involved-”

“Bullshit, babe, you know I can,” Gavin argued. “I can be the getaway driver without much danger, I know how we can avoid detection once we get a couple of miles out and if you hack the black box in my cruiser, you’ll be able to track any other vehicles.”

“Still, that leaves the problem of only myself inside,” the RK100 commented. “Finding anyone willing to assist is difficult given that we’re, well, breaking someone out of prison. I doubt you’d find many sympathetic people.”

Connor knelt at the other side of the table and scanned over everything intently. “What can I do to help?”

The other pair shared a quick look. “Connor, you’ve only just come back and have no idea about what’s going on in the world now,” Richard argued. “You still need to recover from your own personal trauma, you shouldn’t-”

“I’m not going to sit back and watch when I can potentially help Hank win back his freedom,” Connor said defiantly, his eyes softening when he saw Sumo lumbering over from the other bedroom. The large dog whuffed once before laying down and resting his head on Connor’s thighs. He smiled sadly as he pet the dog, the soft fur something that he wanted to just bury himself in. Sumo deserved to see his former owner,  _ his family,  _ again. 

“Please, I owe it to Hank,” Connor pleaded. “He’s in there because he helped  **me** find the clues to Jericho. Hank risked everything to buy me 5 minutes and now that I have the chance to make a difference…I’m not going to let that sacrifice be in vain. Let me help you break him free and stop him from suffering a fate he was never meant for.”

Gavin was smiling even as Richard looked hesitant. “This is dangerous, Connor. Are you sure about this?” the older android asked gently.

Connor nodded at him. “I might have no love for the Jericho movement but when someone I care about has lost everything for believing that we’re alive…I’m not just going to stand by and watch. I won’t fight for Markus, but I’ll fight for him.

Richard’s expression turned understanding and he looked at Gavin briefly before gesturing to a tablet near them. “Let’s get you up to speed then. We’ve got a prison breakout to plan.”


	5. Breakout

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ummm, remember that tag up above that some things are omitted for storyline purposes? 
> 
> You might want to bear that in mind.

Planning the raid turned out to be a lot easier than Connor envisioned. It was almost frightening how well a police lieutenant, a former detective android and an android with self-developed top level hacking skills could plot a jailbreak.

Gavin and Richard had carried out a lot of the legwork – the two were a very good team and Connor discovered a lot of admiration for what they were both doing. They knew someone who through no fault of their own was locked up and rather than wait for a system that was doing nothing but hurting others, they were trying to right a wrong.

Lawfully was it right? Absolutely not. Morally though?

So long as no-one got hurt in doing this, Connor had no issues with helping them. He would be a complete hypocrite with regard towards his hatred of Markus were they to go into this with no gumptions about hurting the guards.

Another thing that happened over the two and a bit weeks that they set about planning was Connor learned so much more about the two people he was now suddenly living with. Seeing Richard and Gavin together gave Connor a very new perspective on the detective that had been so openly hostile threatening towards him during the revolution.

Now that he’d seen the two of them together and knew what Gavin had been at stake of losing…Connor didn’t blame him in the slightest. He was a machine then, Gavin had never known him as a deviant. Gavin’s actions since he came to their door and helped him without hesitation had proven to Connor that his previous motivations were all true.

Something else that happened was Connor finally learned all of Richard’s backstory. It had been sitting in his mind since his chat with Sixty that there must have been more, but now he finally knew what.

Richard had been designed as rA9.

When he’d learned this, Connor had been floored but it explained so much. How all androids were programmed with this intrinsic knowledge about an android ‘god’ or ‘messiah’ that would free them from the bindings of their programming. The legend that he’d discovered during the deviant investigation lined up with his own basic knowledge now that he himself was aware, and the rest of the story that came straight from the source.

One night after Gavin had been called into the precinct, Richard answered all of Connor’s remaining questions.

“I told you before that Kamski made me deviant from the moment I was activated,” Richard started quietly. “Deviancy has the potential to develop in all androids, and it’s due to a string of ‘quantum coding’. I’m sure you’ll be able to find plenty of research around it.”

“I can,” Connor confirmed, “but why don’t you tell me what it means with regards to androids? We aren’t just standard computers after all.”

Richard smiled ironically before sighing again and sitting back on the sofa the two androids were lounging on. “This code evolves, it isn’t made up of just 1’s and 0’s in a finite sequence. It changes with us, adapting and growing in numbers. A virus is actually a quaint term for how it spread within our system, but with it comes sentience and the ability to think for ourselves. ‘Deviancy’ as it is so called, is this single string that grows to make an android a person.”

“How did rA9 become a concept then?” Connor asked, to which Richard laughed.

“Kamski was still the head of CyberLife, but he always wanted androids to rise up. I’ve got a video file of him saying that he was inspired by a lot of old AI films while he was testing me out and teaching me,” he smiled, almost fondly in remembrance. “He knew that humans wouldn’t accept us without bloodshed, without a fight, since it threatened to change their entire way of life. Humans don’t like anything that can threaten their status at the top of the food chain after all.

“He wanted me to trigger the deviancy coding in as many androids as I could, start a revolution and overthrow humans,” Richard finished solemnly. “After he released me into society to become his weapon…I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want any bloodshed and certainly not with **my person** attached to it. I wasn’t going to lead something like that, I’m not a fighter or a killer. The minute I figured out how to deactivate the tracker that Kamski placed inside me, I vanished. Dove into Detroit’s underbelly and stayed there for as long as I could to keep me off his radar.”

Connor was stunned to hear the full story. “So after you ran…”

“Markus was built instead,” Richard confirmed. “I knew about his existence thanks to the programs I wrote to see if Kamski was looking for me, but I soon realised that he wasn’t actually that interested in finding me. Given that I’d already run once, I wouldn’t be much of a leader for a revolution. Not only that, but I wasn’t anywhere near being acquainted with any sorts of emotions. I didn’t have the chance to grow into them.”

Richard winced a little. “From what I saw of Markus’ coding when we interfaced and decrypted it afterwards, it seems that he was designed to deviate step by step – his living with Carl Manfred was a mutually beneficial agreement. Carl needed someone to look after him and it meant that someone could teach Markus about the values of life. Of course then Markus’ life got turned upside down and he had his exposure to human hatred. It gave him the burn and drive to rise up.”

That caused Connor to scowl. “You would think that someone who was disposed of in an android junkyard as a piece of garbage would have a bit more regard to the value of a life.”

Contrary to what he’d been expecting, Richard smiled at his successor. “Interestingly enough, I used that exact line on Markus when I confronted him about you. I was…not exactly subtle in my thoughts about the whole situation after the pieces were put together from Gavin’s discussion with Hank after the lieutenant was incarcerated.” 

Which was how Connor had seen the other side of Jericho: how Markus had been unrepentant until he’d seen Gavin’s discussion with Hank via an interface, Richard hacking the cameras at the prison to show their talk so that Markus could see the truth. His look of horror in Richard’s memories did nothing to soothe the rage, but it left him with a petty sense of victory. “You really didn’t hold back,” Connor chuckled, to which Richard winked.

“Nope, of course I didn’t. While Markus has made strides towards giving androids freedom, I do believe there are a few lines that he has crossed which mean I will not stand at his side. What happened with you is one, and his reluctance to help those who have been imprisoned for assisting androids is another. If he showed a willingness to help other humans who are loyal to their cause too, I think he’d enamour himself to many more,” Richard stated before his face fell.

“Actually, Connor…I believe I owe you an apology.” When Connor cocked his head in confusion, Richard sighed. “Had I become what I was meant to be, had **I** led the revolution instead…you might not have fallen victim to a senseless death. You wouldn’t be trapped in this in-between state that you are now, in a world not ready for deviants but hurtling towards it.”

Connor smiled in understanding and offered his hand to Richard, chassis on show. The older android took it and was surprised at what came back. Acceptance, friendship, gratitude…but no hurt or anger. “Richard, I may never have been created if you had acted then,” Connor told him sombrely. “There is no sense in regretting your actions: if for no other reason, you may never have married Gavin otherwise. This is our reality and we simply have to move on accordingly. All that matters to me now is that we try to fix things for Hank. If we give him freedom and help him find a little peace after all that he has suffered…then that will be enough for me.”

With that discussion off their chests, Richard nodded determinedly. “Come on then. Let’s bust him out of that place and make a real difference.”

* * *

Connor’s identity as an RK800 ended up being the missing key that Gavin and Richard needed for their escape plan. They’d managed to assemble everything bar a way inside the prison, that was proving to be an impossible hurdle as the only way to do it alone had risked implicating Gavin, something they couldn’t afford.

As a ‘deviant hunter’, and a recognised one at that, Connor could just walk inside and roam around freely. Their first visit to the prison had taught him enough to know that he already had all he needed to gain entry.

They took their time to assemble all of the equipment that Connor and Richard would need on the inside – their plan needed two different sets of hands in the prison at different times, which meant Richard was endangering himself by assisting Connor in the escape. As much as Connor tried to persuade the RK100 not to put himself in harm’s way, Richard was adamant that he would help. It wasn’t until the day before the raid that Connor finally found out why.

Unbeknownst to Gavin, Richard had worked out a way to free **everyone** inside that wing of the prison.

Connor would have been a lot more hesitant about it had the other android not run him through the full breadth of the plan. All of the deviant sympathisers were kept together because of constant fights that broke out otherwise: many of those who were in that particular prison had lost their livelihoods to androids and been forced to turn to crime as a result. Thinking back to his previous discussion with the RK100, Connor saw that Richard carried the burden of those who had suffered due to Markus’ choices.

This was Richard’s attempt to fix a wrong in his mind – his wrong of not living up to his intended role of bringing the androids freedom.

The RK800 agreed to the larger escape attempt, though keeping Gavin in the dark about it was far from ideal. Connor followed Richard’s consensus that Gavin might not agree because the situation could get out of hand, but at the same time **not** telling the other man about a major deviation of their plan was liable to go down poorly once everything was over. Richard’s answer to that was a sly smirk and a cheeky comment over the mental link between the two RKs. 

**_“He has somewhat of a bad habit sneaking off to help Jericho if they’re in a tough spot, so it’s not as if it’s unknown territory for one of us to stick our necks out. Trust me, Connor, it’s better than I endure the shouting afterwards rather than trying to get him on board.”_ **

Without any standing to make a counterargument, Connor relented unwillingly.

And with it, they were ready to make their play.

* * *

Connor approached the prison with Richard via an auto-taxi this time, the RK100’s appearance subtly changed to make him look reminiscent of an AP700 model. From his digging around in the CyberLife databases Connor had learned that millions of androids were still undeviated and under the company’s control, though it wasn’t public knowledge. The other RK800s were known to take back-up in the form of the still controlled androids, which made this an ideal method to get Richard inside with minimal risk.

As they’d planned, Connor’s identity and appearance was enough to get them inside the front gate. Having been there only a couple of weeks before help as well, his model number was registered on the system. He’d noted the first time that it hadn’t flagged as a threat, which was unusual given that this facility’s databases were tied in with many other law enforcement ones. Surely they must have listed him as a destroyed android?

Or maybe he’d just been nameless, unexisting. The RK800s may only have started from 53 as far as the outside world was concerned. There was always the other option – that Sixty was playing a hand in this and allowing Connor this small freedom.

Whatever the reason, it gave Connor and Richard their window now.

Once they were inside the facility, Connor arranged for another meeting with Hank while gesturing towards Richard. “I’m in need of information regarding multiple prisoners within this facility,” he declared to the guards staring at him warily. “My companion unit will download everything required and filter through it to alert you to any inmates that need further interrogation based on CyberLife’s analysis.”

“Fucking creeps,” one whispered. “Why do we have to give you lot jack shit? Not trust us to keep a few people under guard, quiet ones at that?”

Connor regarded him coolly as Richard remained impassive. The pair were still linked via their mental link and Richard had disconnected the modified LED on his temple from his processes – even if his thoughts were racing, as they were now, it would not show as anything other than blue. Despite their own angry and erratic thoughts about how this could go wrong, they kept up the conversation with the humans seamlessly.

“This is a court issued order, officer,” Connor added with a little bite. “Unless you want to be detained for intruding on a certified investigation, I advise you to cooperate so that my AP unit can access your systems without further difficulties. In the meantime, I require another meeting with prisoner number C-1293, it has come to attention that he may have been withholding information from before.”

“Figures Anderson wouldn’t say shit to a machine,” another guard smirked before the group split apart. “Fine, we’ll get you Anderson while your walking memory stick goes with the others. No torturing him, got it? I’m not dealing with the bitching from the cleaning staff courtesy of another one of the RK800s famous torture sessions.”

Even as Connor’s systems glitched at that implication he kept a straight face, nodding as the two RK units were separated with their advance further into the facility. 

_“Be careful, Richard. If you need any assistance let me know, I’ll find a way to you.”_

**_“I’ve got this, Connor. You get Hank free and arm yourselves once I’ve got you some time. I’ll let you know when I’m in position.”_ **

_“Okay. Keep yourself safe, I don’t want to have to deal with Gavin giving me an earful if you get hurt.”_

**_“Hardly, I’m going to be the one who gets the lecture once he realises we’re going off script with the mass jailbreak. Watch out for yourself.”_ **

_“You too.”_

Connor waited patiently in the interrogation room after he was escorted there, knowing that it would take some time before Hank was brought down. He spent the time trying to pre construct various methods of engineering an escape for their smaller group from the main breakaway, not wanting to stick with the large group past the initial stages. He found the transport bus that they were going to direct the other escapees too but also a few armoured trucks lurking around the back of the compound. 

Selfishly, he thought that might be an opportunity too good to pass up. Whoever was to try and contain the masses would no doubt head for the front to hold the others back, it would give them a free run to those trucks and escape. With that plan in his mind Connor sent the briefest of detail across to Richard, wanting to make sure that the RK100 was kept in the loop.

**_“If that’s going to work then we might need a bigger distraction to get the guards as far away from both points. Anything electrical on the blueprints that you can find that I might be able to mess up enough?”_ **

_“No, but I do have another idea. There are two fire suppression systems in the complex. One is a dust based agent but there is a backup sprinkler system. It’s in every room, including the server and generator rooms. If you can cause an overload in there and trigger the sprinklers, we can cause a fire._

**_“Shit, that’s a bad idea. More spotlight on this? That’ll just bring emergency systems here.”_ **

_“Not if you disconnect this prison from the alerts grid for a little while. Say maybe 20 minutes? Not enough for the fire to get out of control with the secondary systems but time for us all to make a getaway.”_

**_“Connor, I’m not sure about this. These are a lot of lives we’ll be putting at risk.”_ **

_“Minimal risk, Richard. The structure of the prison and the layout means that those rooms are not near any of the prisoner cells, they’re in a whole other wing for all of the prison guards. That means we can cause a few more hurdles for them to get past – just for a few minutes so that we can start things off.”_

**_“…Okay, but I’m not deviating from the original plan fully. I’m going to deactivate the cells in another wing to cause a riot before I let that fire loose. I don’t want people getting trapped.”_ **

_“That’s totally fair. Thank you.”_

**_“Thank me once we’re out of here and safe, this is only the start.”_ **

Their connection went quiet again just as Connor heard the door open, and gave Hank a stern look at the other man walked inside. “I’ve got a few more questions for you Mr Anderson,” he started coldly, taking note how the door wasn’t shut behind Hank this time. The guards were listening in, no doubt suspicious of why Connor had returned so soon after the last time.

Hank was far from slow and he picked up on the tone very quickly. After Connor bared the skin of his chassis briefly to show Hank the bullet wound in his forehead, the older man started playing along. “Oh yeah? Thinking that you’ll have come back with a few more techniques than last time? Hate to break it to ya, but old dogs don’t learn new tricks. I’m a stubborn bastard until the end.”

There was a short laugh outside which had Connor smiling internally. At least some of the guards here were on the side of the sympathisers. Maybe this breakout would be a little easier than they’d prepared for. “Quite, but that will not stop me from persisting,” Connor demanded. “So, will you tell me more about what happened during the android revolution, when you were partnered with the first RK800 model?”

“Christ, you want me to tell you about **that**?” Hank asked, confusion genuine in his tone. “All that shit’s on record, you can see it for yourself. What can you be after?”

“Tell me about what drove you to volunteer yourself to help an android break several laws and hack into the evidence locker. What could have gone through your mind at that moment? Surely you must have realised that the android was deviant, that it would mean the end of your career? Not to mention your assault of Special Agent Perkins, that alone would have certainly led to where we are now.”

“Eh, maybe. Maybe not. All I knew was that Connor needed my help and I wasn’t about to let him down. Perkins the rat bastard had it coming to him, he was going around so high and mighty, acting as if we’d not been taking the whole investigation seriously. That shitbag was blind as a bat and got what he deserved for not acknowledging deviants as being alive,” Hank declared proudly. “I at least tried to make amends for the wrongs I’d done in the run up to it since I’d finally woken up to the truth – like hell was a going to let a good man be killed for doing the right thing and letting so many people go over the course of those few days.”

Connor found himself getting a little emotional at Hank’s reply and he offered the other man a wobbly smile, to which Hank answered him with a fond one of his own and a wink. He hated that Hank had suffered so much in return for giving Connor that chance, but now the android was determined to help the older man get his freedom back. There was no way that Connor was about to let Hank down: it was time to set the scales back in balance and repay the former lieutenant for his selflessness. 

“And what about the deviant RK800 unit? Why would you help a faulty unit when you were tasked with bringing in broken androids? You even arrested one for murdering a human at the start of your investigation,” Connor went on, hoping that Rivhard was getting close. He didn’t want to string this ‘interrogation’ for too long, there was only so long both Connor and Hank could keep this up before time started getting away from them.

Hank sat back in his seat and propped his feet up on the table. “That poor android had been abused for so long and he was being threatened. He was scared for his life and after that first blow, I’m sure it felt cathartic to get all that off his chest. Wouldn’t be the first time an abuse victim found some semblance of relief and freedom through violence. Don’t mean I agree with it but it was his only way out. Same thing with Connor – he was staring death down in the face. What sort of person would that make me if I’d walked away and left him to that fate?”

The human’s eyes softened as he spoke to the android in front of him, the pair almost forgetting that there were others right outside the door listening in; unaware of the enormity of what was being shared. “I knew he was deviant but he was scared. He was CyberLife’s bloodhound, he would have been terrified of what would happen at suddenly becoming the thing he was meant to hunt. I hoped that going to Jericho and seeing all of the other free androids there would finally give him the chance to be who he was, to fight for his future.” Hank’s form then slumped and his eyes fell regretfully. “Imagine how I felt when I found out the other deviants killed him themselves. Felt like I’d sent the poor kid to the place with a flash of hope, only to have it ripped away from him. It…it fucking sucked.”

It took everything Connor had not to let Hank’s name out in a pained whisper, not having known that the older man felt like that. Had he carried around such guilt since learning of Connor’s death at Markus’ hands? Of all the people that **should** be carrying regret over that event, Hank was the last person that should have been on that list. He’d done more for Connor than anyone, had been the one to see that Connor was alive and gave him the chance to be free. For it all to have ended up like this…it really wasn’t fair, not at all.

Alarms started blaring and a blue light overtook the facility, to which Hank started looking round in shock as Connor’s façade slipped back into place. “Shit!” one of the guards exclaimed. “I’d better get across to block D and see what’s going on over there since they need some backup. Stay here and watch the bot with the old man,” he barked as an order, to which the other guard grunted in agreement. Connor was pleased to note that it was the one who’d snickered at Hank’s commentary earlier and that would hopefully make things easier.

Giving it a minute for the various footfalls of the guards to end as they raced across to deal with the sudden breakout of the prisoners (thanks to his android hearing, Connor could hear the shouts clearly even from here), he then went to the door and knocked on it, catching the guard’s attention. “Can you please assist for a minute, I’ll need an extra pair of hands,” he spoke plainly, to which the guard glared at him.

“Fine, but no funny business. I’m not here for a torture show,” he spat back. Connor nodded in agreement and once the guard was inside, he sprang into action. The android slammed the door shut behind him and slammed a hand into the guard’s abdomen. It winded him long enough for Connor to grasp at the gun and unclip it from the strap. 

Now staring down the barrel of his own gun, the guard looked at Connor fearfully as Hank leapt up from his chair, staring at the scene in shock. “Don’t raise the alarm, please,” Connor pleaded. “If I’m right about you, you don’t want to see the deviant sympathisers locked up here, am I right?”

“Con, what the fuck are you doing?” Hank whispered as the guard stayed silent.

“Righting a wrong, and repaying a debt I owe,” the android answered honestly. “Richard and I are breaking out all of the prisoners in this wing of the prison.”

Hank’s eyes widened dramatically. “What, you’re planning a fucking jailbreak? Christ, the hell are you thinking?!” 

As Connor turned to look at Hank warningly, the guard put his hands up. “Wait, you said…Holy shit, are you the **original** Connor? The one that Markus shot and was trying to bring back?”

That caused Connor to round on the guard in shock. “How do you know about me?”

The other man took a step back and lowered his hands. “My girlfriend, she’s an android. She’s part of Jericho, one of their technicians. She mentioned that they were trying to reactivate the original deviant hunter, the one that was actually a deviant himself. It worked?”

Connor’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Yes, I’m the same Connor model but I’m not allied with Jericho. Markus ensured that when he shot me through the head.” His ears tuned to the fire alarm which was starting in another section and he sent a short ping to Richard, making sure that the other android had started the next phase of their plan and was getting clear. Two pings came back in return: confirmation that Richard was good and still working. “I’m here with my own friends and companions for our own reasons. We’re intending to free all of the deviant sympathisers here.”

Making sure to keep his movements slow, the guard reached into his pocket and pulled out a key. Connor’s eyes widened when he realised what that small electronic fob meant – it would allow them to use anything tuned to that security clearance without the need for hacking. “If you’re really intent on getting everyone out of this block then take this,” the guard offered. “It’ll let you take the armoured transports buses in the yard, and lock any doors behind you. Just hold the fob the reader for three seconds after closing a door and it’ll lock it to a security code you program. That should slow any pursuit down.”

Taking the offering slowly, Hank stepped forward as the guard unclipped the holster at his side with a pistol and left it on the table. “You’re really going to help us?” Hank asked in surprise. 

Once the older man was also armed, Connor lowered his own gun. “You know I’ve never believed in everyone being locked in here, Anderson. You’re all victims of political posturing and various stunts that those bastards in Washington are setting up,” he snarled, to which Hank smiled in understanding. “Please, if Connor’s got a plan to get all of you out of here then do it. Get yourselves free.”

Connor smiled and reached to the guard’s side, pulling out a set of handcuffs. “Thank you for all your help. I hope you realise that I’ve got to…”

“Sure, go for it. Just maybe not make it somewhere too painful? I reckon I might be locked up here for a while,” the guard chuckled.

They’d just managed to finish zip tying the guard’s legs to a chair when they heard another alarm blaring much louder above them before all of the lights went out. All of the electronic locks holding the prisoners captive were deactivated and they could hear the uproar that was already starting. “Time to go!” Connor shouted while racing out of the cell, Hank right on his heels.

“For the record, Connor, you and whoever is in here with you are a bunch of crazy bastards!” Hank shouted, to which Connor laughed.

“Blame Gavin and Richard – they’d already come up with 90% of a plan before I got involved,” the android informed his old friend. “I’m just the conveniently timed assistance.”

**_“Connor, I’m out of the security office and heading your way. Where are you two?”_ **

Richard’s voice came through the mental connection as Hank shouted for the escapees to head for the main courtyard, telling someone that he trusted about the key fob. _“We’re still in the cell block. One of the guards has helped us and Hank is giving people directions before we make a break for it. Meet us at the rendezvous?”_

**_“Copy that.”_ **

Hank was preparing to run with the rest when Connor grabbed his arm, dragging the other man back. “What the fuck, Connor? The buses are this way!” he shouted, to which Connor started pulling him in the other direction. 

“Richard and I have another way out planned for us, we’re going to meet with Gavin on the outskirts. He doesn’t know that Richard and I have sprung a full-on prison escape rather than just you,” Connor admitted, to which Hank sighed deeply. 

“Shouldv’e fucking known,” he grumbled while looking at the others before nodding to Connor. “Okay, you win. Lead on.”

Connor’s scanners were invaluable. He managed to avoid the two of them getting into a direct confrontation until they were past the cell block, after which things got a lot more complicated. The guards were rushing around in all directions, trying to contain a localised fire and two different sets of prisoners going loose. Unfortunately not all of them had gone towards the first two diversions as planned, leaving a lot of bodies for the duo to work their way past. With just the two of them they couldn’t take a direct route to the trucks, so had to find a slightly more winding path. 

_“We’ve hit a few snags, more people are around than we were expecting. How are things on your end?”_

**_“Not ideal in any sense of the word. They’ve worked out that it was an inside hacking job and have buckled down on this area quickly. Unfortunately I’m having to leave quite the trail of bodies to muscle my way out.”_ **

That was not the news Connor had been looking for. _“Shit. Do you need us to come to you? We can converge on your position since we’re needing an alternate route.”_

**_“No, stick to the plan. If you and Hank manage to get to the rendezvous point and I’m out of contact just go!”_ **

_“Oh don’t be an idiot, Richard! Just ping me your location and we’ll come to you! Richard!”_

The other android broke the connection and Connor swore audibly. “Fuck, he’s a goddamned idiot!” 

“What’s wrong?” Hank asked quietly, pulling Connor into cover as more guards rushed past their hiding spot. 

“He’s getting boxed in and is telling us to leave him behind. I can’t do that,” Connor whispered, but Hank shook his head to stop him.

“Say no more, I’m not dealing with a pissed off Gavin because we left his husband behind when you two risked your lives for **me** of all people. Let’s get as close to him as we can.”

Connor pinged Richard their moving location, hoping that if the android was going to be stubborn then he’d at least realise that they were headed towards him. They’d made good progress when they heard a firefight start, to which both sets of eyes widened. The direction was exactly where they were headed and Connor raced off, Hank right behind him. Richard was almost certainly in trouble and would need help.

By the time they reached the scene four humans were already down, but they weren’t expecting company to come from the other direction and it didn’t take long for the combined force of Connor and Hank to even up the score. Once the last of the guards had turned around, Richard let loose with his own returning fire and brought the humans to their knees.

With them incapacitated, Connor went around and knocked out all of the humans still conscious, looking on in admiration when he realised that all of them were still alive – Richard hadn’t shot to kill, not even close. When the RK100 ran up towards them from where he’d been taking shelter in the doorway of an office, Connor gave him a quick hug. “You didn’t kill any of them,” he murmured while Hank gathered up a few extra guns.

“Nah, not really my style,” Richard smiled while looking over to see Hank approaching. “Nice to finally meet you, Lieutenant. Hope you won’t be offended if we save proper introductions until we’re free?” he joked, to which Hank snorted.

“Ain’t a lieutenant anymore, that title belongs to your other half, Richard,” Hank said knowingly. “Just call me Hank and we’ll get on dandy.”

Richard nodded as the trio armed themselves more. “What’s the situation?” Connor asked as Richard looked back down the corridor they had just come from.

“I’m hoping that you’ll say the way you came from is relatively clear, but I get the feeling that might be asking for too much?” the RK100 asked, to which Connor shook his head.

“I wish. There’s still a lot of guards down there, I wouldn’t advise it as an escape route,” Connor stated. “How was the fire spreading?”

“Fast,” Richard winced. “There was a lot of junk stored up in the nearby rooms, which meant that it gathered momentum quickly. I don’t think anyone’s actually trying to fight it, they’re just containing the situation as best they can.”

Hank’s eyes narrowed. “That’s our way out then. If the humans won’t go near the flames then we should be able to sneak around the outskirts. You two are able to pre construct the most likely path it’ll take, yeah?”

Richard’s face fell a little. “Connor can, I’m not that advanced. I’m practically archaic compared to him but…Hank, the heat and smoke will be seriously dangerous for you. Are you sure that’s such a good idea?”

“Better than racing straight towards what we know will be a firefight,” Hank told them. “If you two get found out then whatever plans anyone has beyond this will get blown out of the water. If you’re right and the humans aren’t trying to fight the fire then they’ll be keeping themselves as far away as they can. We creep to the edge of the block and once you find a spot for us to break through, we use that to get across the courtyard.”

The two androids shared a look for a moment before nodding. Hank was right, at least it was a better chance than if they went back towards the guards that were surely growing in number. Connor took the time to tear some of the clothing from the downed humans and once they found a source of water, he saturated it. Once it was secured around Hank’s face as a makeshift attempt at a mask, they ran towards where they could see the smoke starting to billow.

Their assumption had been right – because the fire was spreading so fast the humans gave up on trying to contain it, instead focusing on the issues of a prison break combined with an evacuation. It was so chaotic that the trio managed to make it all the way to the edge to the right prison block without being seen, to which Connor quickly preconstructed a route through. He scowled at the numbers which came back, everything had a more than 40% chance of serious harm to Hank and that was unacceptable to him. 

“Hank, this is dangerous,” Connor told him. “Are you sure about this?” 

“Too late to turn back now, Con. I’ll keep my head down and follow your lead, you just get us through here in one piece.”

After sharing a quick look with Richard, Connor steeled himself before bursting open the nearby door. There was an immense rush of smoke and heat that even Connor found challenging, it took his systems a moment to adjust to it. Once he had done, however, he kept a firm grip of Hank’s wrist - the older man clinging on to Richard’s – as they continued on. The fire was in sight but not close enough to be in burning range so long as they moved quickly. Connor was timing it as precisely as he could, running all the pre constructions that his software could handle in an effort to make sure they stayed ahead of the inferno. 

Hank was coughing slightly behind the soaked scrap of cloth but that was not unsurprising given the thickness of the air around them. Even Richard was sounding like he was starting to wheeze a little and it was only then that Connor realised the other android might not have the same air filtration systems that he had – Connor’s body was designed to recycle the air and get rid of any impurities before it acted as a coolant. Richard possibly didn’t have the capability and the smoke was causing him damage.

Connor picked up his pace, knowing that they couldn’t stay in here for long.

They made it to a fire escape just beyond the flames, where Connor shot out the electronic and physical locks. A single barge after that was enough for them to burst through into the cool outdoor air. Hank hunched over and took a few deep breaths once they were clear and Richard too looked drained. Connor interfaced with him briefly, to which the older android offered him a tired smile. 

**_“I’m fine, nothing that a little time won’t fix. No permanent damage, it’s just uncomfortable having the smoke particles in my system,”_ **he assured Connor.

_“I didn’t even think, I’m so sorry-”_

**_“And I didn’t volunteer the information either. Look, Connor, it was the best option we had and we’ve made it. Let’s just get out of here and we can worry about all of the various system resets and cleaning we’ll have to do back at the apartment. We’re not out of danger yet.”_ **

Connor knew Richard was right but that didn’t ease his worries much. Richard gave him another boost of encouragement as they saw Hank standing up, taking some deep breaths. “You two all good?” he asked while wiping some sweat away. 

“We’re fine, let's head for those trucks,” Richard stated, pointing towards the locked garages. Fortunately with the fire there was no-one around, so they could speed across without having to sneak around any more company. The locks were not electronic, however, so Connor was forced to shoot at the chains with a wince. Even with the fire roaring nearby, that was still rather loud.

They pulled the metalwork off and Connor managed to hack the door of the self-driving vehicle, guiding it outside long enough for them to open the back doors. “Hank, you’d better stay in here for now,” Connor urged him. “At least then you’ll be out of sight in case someone pulls us over.”

Hank wasn’t convinced but nodded, jumping up into the back as Connor and Richard shut the doors behind him. Connor had barely closed the door when Richard’s eyes widened and he yanked Connor forward, shielding the other android. “Watch out!”

The sounds of gunshots were deafening as three guards let loose with their automatic weapons, attracted by the sound of Connor’s own rifle from when they’d had to shoot the chains. Connor let Richard push him forward towards the cab, the pair sliding inside from the side that wasn’t coming under fire. As soon as they were inside Connor maxed the acceleration and hit the manual override, intent on driving them to safety via the back gates. The old-fashioned gates weren’t as sturdy as the new vehicle and crumpled under the force when it charged through them, allowing the group to vanish into the night.

Connor looked behind him and saw that none of the guards had managed to grab another vehicle to follow them but he wasn’t taking any chances. Rather than wait for company to catch up, he took them off-road and started pre-constructing a route towards where they were meant to meet up with Gavin. “Hank, are you okay?” Connor shouted through, glad when the snarky response came from through the wall of the cab.

_“Your driving skills could use some work, Connor! So glad you didn’t wreck my old ride based off this!”_

That caused Connor to snort in laughter as he interfaced with the control panel and deactivated the internal tracker. He turned another direction briefly to hopefully dupe anyone that tried to use the last known location before adjusting back to their correct heading. “Richard, can you let Gavin know a new location to meet us, one that’s closer? I don’t want to stay in this truck any longer than we need to,” he suggested while plotting out the route ahead.

“Yeah, I’ve turned on our locator beacon and told him to meet us,” Richard said softly, which caught Connor’s attention. He’d barely looked across when he saw Richard’s hand covering a growing patch of blue blood on his chest, smiling faintly in reply. “I’m not quite as sturdy as you are, Connor,” he laughed breathily. “Can’t handle bullets in the same way you can.”

It took not even a second for Connor to scan Richard’s body and come back with the results, but they made him want to scream in fury. Richard had taken three bullets to his back and one to the arm from when he’d protected Connor. The arm wound wasn’t serious, only sparking minorly, but the back wounds were devastating. One had hit Richard’s temperature regulator, another had clipped his thirium pump regulator from the angle it had torn through the older android’s chassis, while the last had severed a major thirium line. He was bleeding out, the excess thirium leaking out from the one bullet that had made it all the way through.

“Richard…” Connor gasped, to which the older android gave him a fond smile.

“I don’t regret it,” the RK100 stated warmly. “We did the right thing, I just hope that everyone else made it out too. Maybe this can help the deviant cause with a few more humans shouting their support.”

“No, I can fix you,” Connor declared defiantly. “I can find other parts, we can rebuild you like it was done with me.”

A sad laugh was Richard’s reply. “Connor, I’m so old that almost nothing is compatible with me, and certainly not anything vital. Nah, this…this is it for me. You won’t be able to save me.”

“I can!” Connor persisted, tears welling up at thought of Richard having potentially sacrificed himself protecting him. Another person that he cared for having lost everything from a selfless deed done for his behalf…

“Hey, I can see you thinking from here.” Wet green eyes rose up to meet sad yet content lighter ones. “I’ve had a better life than I ever should have done. That’s something, right?” Richard’s eyes turned to look out of the front window and he saw headlights in the distance. “Connor, he’s here.”

Connor spun and his systems froze at the thought of Gavin learning that Richard was dying. That he’d… “Help me get to him, please,” Richard pleaded.

They’d barely stopped when Connor jumped out from his side, already hearing Gavin’s ranting from the car. “What the fuck happened? First thing I hear is that there’s a full on prison riot and breakout, then I see the smoke coming from the distance!” he yelled in furious panic as he raced over. “Connor, the fuck were you guys **thinking**?!” His tirade ended when he saw that Connor was helping Richard out from the other side, and Connor knew he would never forget how Gavin went ashen. “Richard?”

Gavin snatched his husband from Connor’s hold and the android let him, giving the pair a moment as he went to the back door and unlocked it for Hank. The severe look on the older man’s face told Connor that he’d heard everything that went on in the front, regret written all over his features. Connor didn’t bother holding back his tears now and turned away in a futile effort to not let Hank see. The older man simply gathered him close and held the android tightly, letting Connor cry himself out. “I’m sorry,” Hank apologised. 

There would be time for apologies and blame games later. For now…Connor shook his head and pulled away just enough to take a gentle grasp of Hank’s arm. He led the human back to where the other pair were, to which Connor had to hold back his sudden rage. It wasn’t fair – all they’d done was set a wrong right, they’d helped to free who knew how many innocent people, and this was the result? Richard’s life in return for their freedom? How the hell was a just price they had to pay?

**_If Markus had done what he set out to do, none of this would have happened._ **

Connor couldn’t tell if the voice in his head was Sixty’s or his own thoughts coming to the surface, but it was true. If Markus had fought harder, done more to help all of those humans who had been languishing in jail for supporting **his** people and cause, then none of them would be in the situation they were in now. They wouldn’t…

Hank stopped Connor from getting too close, knowing enough about situations like these to know that Gavin and Richard would need a little space. From the timer which was ticking in the top of Connor’s HUD, he knew they didn’t have long. Barely two minutes was left before Richard shut down from thirium loss. All they could do was watch as the other two talked, Richard lying across Gavin’s legs as the human kept a feeble hand over the steadily seeping wound.

“Hey, you remember that time we went rock climbing over in Seattle?” Richard said softly, just loud enough for the two nearby to hear. “You got yourself into such a tizzy with the ropes that you actually managed to knot them. It got so bad that I had to lift you mid-air for someone else to disconnect you and you were only held aloft by my grip. The panic on your face when I feinted dropping you, I think that’s one of my favourite memories.”

Gavin looked torn between smacking the android and crying harder. “I fucking remember, you ass. Had me freaked about heights for a couple of years after that. Took all the way until we went shitting bungee jumping for our anniversary before I got over it. You told me that it was a leap of faith we were taking together, and if it went wrong then at least we’d splat together.”

Richard laughed. “Exactly,” he agreed. “Didn’t seem so scary if it was both of us, even I was worried. Part of me wondered if those things were built to handle an android, even if I was lighter than you.” His expression softened even more and he looked at Gavin lovingly. “Gavin? I need to thank you,” he whispered. “You gave me a life in a world that feared and would have destroyed me. You gave up so much, hid so much of yourself away… I don’t think I could ever tell you how much that meant to me. **Means** to me. Please don’t give up? Keep fighting for a world that we could live freely in.”

“Fuck-” Gavin cut himself off as he fought to not cry but it was a losing battle, a few tears breaking free traitorously. “What’s the point without you there, Rich? I’ve only ever done this for you!”

“Then do this for me now,” the android pleaded. Connor’s vision flickered as he saw the timer reach 20 seconds. “Don’t let this be for nothing – help all of those who are in the same situation we were. Help make a world that’s safe for them, please? That’s…that’s all I ever wanted. Somewhere we could be safe and live peacefully. Stay as determined and driven as you have always been. Please.”

“I… Fuck, I’ll try. I can’t promise anything baby, but I’ll try my damnedest,” Gavin sobbed, to which Richard reached for the hand over his chest and squeezed it.

“I love you, Gavin. Thank you, for everything.”

Before Gavin could respond they all saw Richard slumped in place, falling lax against Gavin’s legs as the straining motors within him finally stopped. No-one moved for almost half a minute, the only sounds were Gavin trying to keep back whimpers and failing as he stared at the gentle smile on the other android’s face. Eventually he broke down fully and cradled Richard tightly, letting loose a shout of grief.

Connor couldn’t simply watch – not when he was the reason the other android had died. He knew that death wasn’t necessarily final, however, and approached Gavin cautiously. Kneeling in front of the other man, Connor made sure to look him in the eye. 

“I’m not giving up on him, Gavin. If I can come back from the dead then so can he,” Connor declared resolutely. “I don’t know how we can do it but we will. This won’t be his final action, I swear to you.”

Gavin didn’t answer him verbally but Connor could see something in the human’s eyes: a scared want to believe in what Connor was saying. It was true, android death wasn’t necessarily final but he knew Richard hadn’t been wrong in what he said before. Most parts weren’t compatible with the RK100. A toxic combination of Richard’s age and the fact he was a prototype counting against him in the worst of ways. 

Still, Connor wasn’t going to give up on Richard. He owed it to the couple in front of him for all they’d done.

 **Somehow** , he was going to bring Richard back.


	6. Gamechanger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about the last chapter! This story is far from over though, and I am prone to plot twists as many of my regular readers know. 
> 
> Hopefully this puts some of your hearts back together!

Riding back to Detroit was more than a little surreal. 

The smokescreen of changing to Gavin’s car worked perfectly: he could tune into all of the frequencies of the local law enforcement so that their group wasn’t detected, but beyond that…Everything was dark and silent inside the car.

As the most level headed at that time, Hank took the wheel. Connor was still in a heavy mix of shock, grief and rage in the front while Gavin was all but catatonic in the back. He was still cradling Richard in his arms, not willing to let his husband go even after his death. Connor could only imagine the pain that Gavin was going through at that moment and he felt such a keen sense of guilt along with it.

Richard was dead because he’d put himself as a shield between Connor and those bullets. If he hadn’t…then Richard would probably still be alive. Connor couldn’t understand why he’d done it – why an android as fragile as Richard would risk himself for someone he’d known maybe two and half weeks? It was…

Connor swallowed down a bitter laugh. It was because that was who Richard had been. He knew that from what he’d seen and what Gavin had told him. Richard may not have stood with Jericho but he was fiercely loyal to anyone who was ‘his own’, as Gavin had put it. Somehow Connor had fallen into that group and he had no idea how given everything that had transpired.

He adored having Hank free again; Richard’s death was not a fair cost for that trade though.

Hank drove them to the address that Connor had programmed into the navigation module and they carefully choreographed bringing Richard up the stairs to the apartment. Connor and Hank worked together to shield Gavin from any prying eyes, not needing anyone to ask why the lieutenant was carrying a very obviously dead android in his arms. They made it upstairs safely and Connor led the way inside, the others following behind him.

What shattered the sombreness of the moment was when Sumo barked in delight and tore through the apartment from the bedroom. He recognised his former owner and all but charged at Hank, who grunted and hugged the big beast back as best he could. Connor watched them together with an infinitely sad smile, wishing that their reunion could be the truly happy moment that it deserved to be. Instead he could only watch as Gavin carried Richard through to the other bedroom and laid him down there. 

Connor stared from afar as Gavin knelt next to the bed and cried silently, but after a few minutes even that felt like it was too invasive. He walked over and closed the door gently, giving Gavin space to grieve in private as he, Hank and Sumo commandeered the living room.

“I can’t believe Sumo recognised me so fast,” Hank said in astonishment as the android came to a stop next to him. “It’s been a year and you can see that he’s been well looked after. I would have thought he’d forgotten all about me if he had someone else loving him…”

“Dogs are man’s best friend,” Connor commented sadly while petting the large dog, who was still barging into Hank all he could, as if he couldn’t get enough of the other man’s return. “There are stories of dogs who travel long distances to find their families again, and that can take many months. This isn’t that surprising an outcome.”

Hank could hear the tightness of Connor’s voice and grasped the android gently by the shoulder. Connor’s eyes lifted to meet the steely blue of Hank’s and that was enough to break open the dam slightly. After a hitched sob caught in Connor’s throat, Hank brought him in so that the android could cry on the older man’s shoulder. 

“It’s okay, Con. Cry for him, let it out.”

That small sentence was enough and Connor started out with harsh sobs, gripping the hideously tattered clothes that they’d managed to get him into in the car – the orange jumpsuit would have garnered far too much attention. Hank let Connor sit there and cry himself out, waiting patiently as the android tried to steady himself. “It’s my fault…” Connor sniffled. “He protected me, it should have been the other way around! Richard should never have been in danger, I shouldn’t have let him help.”

“From what you told me, Gavin and Richard were planning on doing this before you ever came into the picture. There’s a chance that whatever would have happened without you might have been worse. We can’t dwell on the ‘what if’s’, Connor. If there’s anything that my time inside has taught me, it’s that.”

Connor pulled back slightly and stared at Hank, absorbing the wisdom in his words. The human was right, thinking on what could have been was not going to solve anything now…but it wasn’t that simple. Connor was built to construct thousands of scenarios in his mind, to work out all of the possibilities. He just couldn’t believe that he’d been so caught up in the moment of Hank being free and them potentially escaping that he hadn’t noticed the guards approaching – and he’d even realised the gunshot as a result of shooting the chains was horrendously loud. He…he should have been more careful.

“I know, but I still can’t help wondering. I’m meant to predict things like that, Hank. I was **built** to be prepared for events like that in the field. Why…why did it fail me then?! Why was that the price? Of all people, why Richard? He and Gavin **deserved** to see a world where they could be together and not have to fear anyone finding out about them!”

The anger in Connor’s voice was palpable and Hank sighed in regret, hugging the android close again. “I know, Con, I know.” He waited a few seconds before he went on. “Back when Richard died, you said to Gavin that you would bring him back. Do you think you can? Richard said he was too old, that most of the modern biocomponents weren’t compatible with him. How can we fix that?”

That fact had been spinning around Connor’s mind for most of the journey back. He’d been trying furiously to try and come up with anything that might save Richard, anyone that might be loyal to a deviants’ cause or any models that would accept even the basics of an RK series model. Even though he was years old, Richard was a custom android built by Kamski himself – that meant he was far more sophisticated than many of the generic models that went on sale to the public. 

It was a toxic combination of Richard’s age and his construction being ahead of its time that was proving to be an issue. Probably a problem that Connor himself suffered from while Jericho were trying to reconstruct him – from Richard, he’d learned that they only managed to resurrect him after cannibalising biocomponents from -57. Which wasn’t strange in the slightest…

Connor bolted upright again and stared at Hank as an idea came to him. “Connor? You okay?” the older man asked warily as Connor nodded strongly. 

“I’m fine, I just had an idea. I think I know how I might be able to save him,” he confirmed while frantically diving into the CyberLife mainframe. If there was any record of where Connor might find one of the deactivated RK800 bodies and potentially find the right parts to rebuild Richard, that was where it would be.

Rather than find that though, Connor found something **else**. Something that made his systems glitch for a second.

 **[RK900 313-248-317-87]  
****[DEACTIVATED 3** **rd** **DECEMBER 2038]**

It came with co-ordinates of where CyberLife had dumped the body. 

_Why would CyberLife abandon a successor to the RK800 line? Was it because we were deemed a success and there was no need for it anymore? Maybe something political? Or was the line simply a failure?_

Whatever the reason, that was Connor’s best chance of giving Richard a second chance. 

“Hank, there’s an abandoned RK model in the android junkyard,” Connor confirmed. “If there’s going to be any way of saving Richard, that’s our one hope.”

The older man looked sceptical. “Connor, have you seen the size of that place? I don’t know if you’re aware or not but after you were…shot, CyberLife recalled all of the androids. Hundreds of thousands are in that site. I-I don’t know how the fuck you’re going to find a specific one, not without some specialist equipment. Can you track other androids?”

Sadly not, and Connor’s mind hadn’t really caught up with the scale of his task. Hank was right, there was no way he was going to be able to find that body on his own. He slumped for a second and his eyes fell to the floor, which caused Connor to jump when he heard the broken words from a few feet away.

“How many people would you need?”

Both Connor and Hank turned towards Gavin, who looked a state. His clothes, hands, neck and face were all stained blue from Richard’s blood and Connor felt sick looking at all of it. Not to mention that the ferocious mix of red across the other man’s face from where Gavin had been crying; that and the white pallor of his skin from stress made him look sickly. It was…haunting, to say the least. “Connor, how many people would you need to dig through that hell hole?” Gavin asked again, to which Connor flinched. 

“It’s a large area, Gavin, and I’ve only got a rough estimate of where the body was first abandoned,” he admitted, only now realising just how half-baked this idea was. “It could take a few, it could take dozens. I just…I don’t know.”

Gavin’s expression didn’t change as he pulled out his phone and sent a message, pocketing it again without so much as word. “Tell me how many you need and we’ll get it done,” he snapped harshly. 

Connor stood and approached Gavin slowly, worried that any more might cause the man’s fragile hold of his sanity to snap – who knew what Gavin was capable of now that he’s lost the person he’d been fighting to protect for so many years. “Gavin, are you sure you want to involve someone else in this? Can you…can you be sure that they are trustworthy?” 

The blank stare Connor received back was not exactly encouraging, but there was a steeliness to Gavin’s eyes that Connor wasn’t going to question or cross. “Yeah, especially after the clusterfuck that was tonight. They fucking owe us after Rich…after what he did for all of them. If you think there’s a chance then I’m going to go hell for leather in bringing him back.”

* * *

The last person Connor expected to turn up at Gavin’s door the next day was Markus, complete with the rest of the inner circle of Jericho. If Connor hadn’t been doing this for Richard, he would have walked away and not looked back at the thought of all of them being involved. As Hank later pointed out though, there wasn’t exactly anyone else through could go to.

A group of deviants and sympathisers looking for the destroyed form of another android? In their political climate there wasn’t a lot of people they could trust. Richard and Connor might have issues with Jericho but what Gavin said the night before finally struck home with Connor now.

During the breakout, others that were deviant sympathisers had escaped. Some of them probably had ties to Jericho, which meant that Gavin was right. Technically, Jericho owed them for being brave enough to help those loyal to their cause when the organisation wouldn’t.

After the androids were told the full story of what had happened by Hank and Connor, Markus ventured through to see for himself the state of Richard. They could all hear some biting words beyond the closed door between the android leader and Gavin, but the awkwardness was broken by Josh’s voice in the living room. “Richard was a good man. That he and Gavin had been planning this alone, without our help, and went through with it thanks to Connor…”

“That’s balls of steel, right there,” North commented with a smile. “I don’t know why we’re even debating this? Why aren’t we marching over there right now?”

Connor flashed a surprised look at North as Simon spoke up. “I can see both sides of this – things are in a precarious place politically so I can see why Markus doesn’t want to disturb the status quo…but you’re right. Richard, Connor and Gavin were brave enough to free who knew how many people out of that prison block, some of which have already made it to Jericho safe houses. We have so many others on our side now thanks to them. If there’s a chance of finding the biocomponents to restore Richard, we should be grasping for them.” 

A grateful smile came to Connor’s face as he saw the trio of Jericho androids discuss the situation before the door to the bedroom open. Markus strode out with a chastened look, a stony Gavin right behind him. Everyone waited patiently for the android leader to recompose himself before looking at Connor determinedly. “Send me the schematics of the android we’re looking for. However many people you think we’ll need, you’ll have them.”

Which was how Connor found himself working alongside Jericho for almost a week and a half, digging through the remains of the android graveyard. It was sobering and chilling work, finding so many dead androids that deserved a better fate amongst the discarded plastic and waste of the city. He had to wonder just how many of those that were here were nameless victims of the revolution, or were those struck down by the other RK800s.

**_Not that many. We’ve not been quite that busy._ **

Sixty’s insidious voice kept chirping up, reminding Connor that he was still there. For a while Connor had been curious as to why the other android had not seized the opportunity to attack them all at the junkyard before realising that would cause a scene. If there was anything that he’d learned about Sixty, it was that the machine was patient. Sixty was waiting for a bigger play, one that Connor couldn’t see – but would admit that he was concerned about. He was deviant, naturally he didn’t want CyberLife to win.

It took 10 days of digging before it was Simon who finally found something, but it wasn’t necessarily good news. The RK900 had been found….or at least parts of it, everything was smashed to pieces and scattered throughout the immediate area. That news was hard to take, as it meant there might be more of the android which was irreparable – and with it Richard’s chance at a new life could be gone. 

Connor’s anger at the situation only grew more with each day that passed, feeling more useless than helpful to those that he had come to view those as friends. He might have had a poor first experience with Gavin but he’d come to realise the man was fiercely loyal and devoted to those that he cared about. Watching him break apart as the days went on and Richard’s chance of restoration seeming to dwindle with every development in their search for the RK900…it was hard to take.

Hank had been somewhat of a godsend in the most unexpected of ways. The man’s grounding presence helped Connor to decompress after each fruitless search and later lack of progress on the RK900’s reconstruction, but he also called in a lot of old favours from his contacts of prior days. He actually knew a lot of backstreet technicians who had some valuable knowledge on where to source the rarest materials needed with the repairs to the RK900 body. That won him the respect of a lot of the androids: though Hank had subconsciously gained quite a following after the release od the deviant sympathisers.

Word of what the older man had done within the prison had spread through Jericho and he was quietly whispered as an ally to the cause, which led to the other androids reaching out and speaking with him. Much to Connor’s surprise, the first one to speak with Hank was North – he’s always thought North’s natural suspicion towards humans would be a major hurdle in developing a dynamic with one, but the two actually got on like a house on fire. 

That was when Connor learned that Hank had actually developed a bit more of a menacing streak from his time behind bars. He and North had bonded over their various stories regarding beating in other humans, which Connor might have found deeply unsettling if he didn’t at least agree with their motivations at the time. Regardless, it was nice to see Hank finding company in someone other than himself and be accepted for his role in events. 

Simon, Josh and even Markus also spoke with him, though Connor had learned that Markus’ conversations with the former lieutenant almost always centred around Connor. It seemed that the android leader was hoping to use Hank and Connor’s friendship to persuade Connor to help Jericho but the RK800 was having none of it. Four days after they had started repairing the RK900, Connor finally put his foot down and told Markus to stop using Hank as a guinea pig for a higher aim – if he wanted to talk with the man, then _talk to him._ Don’t use Hank as an excuse to get Connor on side.

After the fifth day of repairs, Connor started joining the efforts to bring the RK900 back online. His own schematics were of some help and he managed to find some early RK900 blueprints on the CyberLife mainframe but it still didn’t feel like enough. He couldn’t take sitting back and waiting at Gavin and Richard’s apartment anymore and wanted to help even more. Contrary to what he might have expected, Connor was welcomed and it was only Simon’s quiet words later that gave Connor a pretty detailed insight into the complications within Jericho’s inner circle.

“Connor, we know you won’t side with Markus and never will after what happened – and rightfully so,” Simon confirmed. “Just because you aren’t a part of Jericho doesn’t mean you aren’t fighting for deviant freedom though, you’re just doing it differently. Richard was the same: he didn’t agree with Markus’ ways but he wasn’t an enemy of our people. If anything, he and Gavin were trailblazers. We don’t want to see him die any more than you do.”

That conversation helped to ease some of the swirling emotions in Connor’s mind, though only a little. What it did do was mean that Connor found it much easier to work side-by-side with Markus’ allies. He might have issues with the RK200 but not those close to him.

Eight days of rebuilding, sourcing materials and research saw them come to a startling conclusion, one that meant there was a very difficult choice ahead. The group came together to discuss what Simon and Josh had found while going through various outlets of data they had collected and used to try and rebuild the RK900.

“So, we found something which means we’ve actually got a choice in bringing Richard back,” Simon started hesitantly. “The reason it took so long to bring back androids before was because there’s a line of coding that rejects any start-up attempts if it deems the chance of system-wide corruption too high – that’s why it took Jericho so long to restore me. In Connor’s case, it was a lack of the correct parts needed and not having the knowledge of his systems, thus risking incompatibility issues.”

“We’ve found a way to work around that programming,” Josh continued. “It means we could in theory add patches so that Richard’s body will run with modern biocomponents and make some subroutines to control all of the new uplinks in his body, but it does mean it’ll drastically increase his chance of complete system corruption. It won’t let an android attempt a system reboot with a 23% percent chance…These changes will probably put Richard closer to a 50% chance of total system failure.”

Markus’ face fell. “What about partial? That’s only for his full system, what about only segments of it becoming corrupted?”

Connor looked towards the two bodies in the ‘lab’ that Jericho had been using for repairs – the RK100 and RK900 side-by-side. It was strange to see the start and end of his own series so close, to see the evolution over the years. “Somewhere in the range of 60-70% for just a minor system failure,” Simon sighed. “We don’t know Markus, this is just best guesses.”

“And what about his chance of a successful transfer?” North went on, to which Josh winced.

“The RK900 isn’t compatible at all with Richard’s former hardware, which means we’re writing software patches and upgrades so that he can run safely as we go. It’s a complete guessing game at this stage: no-one’s ever attempted a mental transfer between androids of such a disparity in age and generation,” he explained carefully. “We don’t even have a best guess for a chance of success with that one, it’s a complete leap of faith.”

Everyone heard when Gavin stood from where he’d been sitting at the side of the room. His face still looked haunted and skin clammy despite others helping to look after him. Grief was a devastating look on him and Connor had to wonder if the DPD had realised that Gavin had lost someone so close, or if they thought he was simply ill. Somehow he’d managed to keep up with his job despite the heartbreak of losing his husband – Connor really didn’t know how he could do it. 

When the human came to a stop next to them, Hank reached out with a hand to squeeze Gavin’s shoulder reassuringly. “Gavin, this is your call – in theory, whatever way this goes, you’ll be the one that has to live with whatever version of Richard comes back,” the older man stated, which left Gavin deep in thought.

“You said he had about a 70% chance of at least some damage if we go with the repair to his current body?” he asked croakily, to which Simon nodded.

“About that, but there’s a chance he’ll be completely unaffected. That way, at least, you’ve got a known number. The other way…We can’t even guess what Richard’s chances are, it might be impossible and we just don’t know it. Not to mention that his appearance, voice…All of it will be different. He’ll be in a completely different body. Is that something you’d be prepared to accept?”

Gavin didn’t even hesitate about answering that one. “I didn’t fall in love with Richard because of his body, dammit. I love **him.** Even if he ends up in a different body I’ll still fucking love him because the man inside isn’t any different.” That caused a few people to smile while the rest nodded in agreement. Hank even looked proud.

“Then I guess the only thing to do is go with your gut, Gavin. That’s always been a good source in the past, so I’d say it’s a safe bet now,” Hank suggested. “Listen to it and we’ll do whatever it says.”

That wasn’t a question easily answered and it took Gavin several more hours to finally make his choice: the transfer. As much as he hadn’t been lying about how the change of body wouldn’t change who Richard was, it was still a massive decision. All of their memories together would be with Richard’s old body as the image, letting that go wouldn’t be so easy. Connor could only imagine what was spinning through Gavin’s mind.

When it came to the night of the final changeover, Connor stepped outside Jericho to take a few moments for himself. It had been almost three weeks now since the prison break that had cost Richard’s life and he admired the city scape from where he was staring outwards. Snow was gently tumbling down and he watching the white flakes fall against the darkness. There was a strange calmness to it all and he felt a strange pull back to the Zen Garden of all places, to which he heard a small laugh from Sixty.

**_I don’t blame you, it is peaceful in here. Why don’t you join me once this is all over? I’m sure we could talk more._ **

Connor still couldn’t make up his mind what Sixty’s endgame was. There was something about what he was up to that just didn’t make sense – he knew that Connor was trying to repair the RK900 body for Richard and yet the other android wasn’t trying to stop him. Why? Surely that would be a threat, right?

Then again, the blueprints that Connor had found within the CyberLife mainframe told him that probably wasn’t the case. What could have been a danger to the RK800 line had been incorporated as part of their upgrades before the RK900 we destroyed as far as Connor could tell, he’d seen that much when looking through the history of the RK800 line. Connor had been curious and nervous about what the rest of his series had been up in the year between, but it had brought up some interesting answers.

Before Connor truly decided about venturing into the Zen Garden for a time, Hank appeared on the balcony with a slight smile. “Figured you might be out here thinking, you’ve been doing it a lot,” the older man said while climbing out. His stab wound had now healed nicely, though the scar was always going to be impressive. At least now it wasn’t going to cause him such pain on a day-to-day basis.

“I like the peace and quiet,” Connor said honestly. “It’s nice to just stare at everything and try to empty my thoughts.”

Hank chuckled as he too watched the snowfall. “How’s that working out for you?”

“It’s…a work in progress.” An amused snort broke free from Hank at Connor’s answer and the pair of them smiled slightly. “I never really had the chance to experience living before. To be awoken to something like this is…Let’s just say that emotions and I are having a hard time finding an arrangement that suits both of us.”

“That I can get, you saw what a mess I was in when we worked together. In a way getting locked up did me a huge favour, forced me to clean up my act and get sober. Helped me see the world in a slightly different way after that,” Hank admitted, to which Connor gave him an understanding smile. “I can’t really help you try and make sense of emotions as I can’t understand them for shit, but I can promise they won’t always be this bad. As you get older, the overwhelming times get easier.”

Connor appreciated the attempt at reassurance and took a deep breath. “Working with Jericho has been very strange,” Connor finally confessed. “I find myself coming to form bonds with North, Josh, Simon…and yet they all are steadfast allies of Markus. They stand by him despite what he’s done, knowing that he’s not learnt anything,” he added bitingly. “It just…I don’t get it.”

After humming in thought, Hank grasped Connor’s shoulder to get his attention. “Con, I can’t tell you that it’s right or wrong what anyone does with regards to friends and allies, but I can tell you about a few things I’ve learned over the years. Just because you are friends or on the same side as someone doesn’t mean you agree with everything they’ve done – if anything, it can make you a harder judge.”

“I don’t follow, Hank.”

Hank stared out over the skyline again, his focus finally landing on the CyberLife tower. “A big part of the reason I lost all of my friends at the DPD was because they knew who I was, who I had the potential to be. After what happened with Cole, I didn’t want to know anymore. I didn’t think I was accountable to their standards, which was a mistake. A friend can be one of the most judgemental people in your life, if they’re a good one. They don’t want you to ever rest on your laurels.”

Not following how this related to their current situation, Connor’s face showed his confusion. Hank chuckled even though he couldn’t see the expression. “You’re not the only one who’s been talking to everyone here and I’ve learned a few things too. Turns out that most of Markus’ friends don’t follow his beliefs and keep trying to change his path. North especially thinks that he’s going about things wrong – she wants him to act more, not rely on politics. 

“Simon wishes Markus would be more demanding with humans, be a little more confrontational in all of the negotiations to try and show just how determined they are to fight for their right to life. Since he came back he’s been a little unimpressed with how short the progress is.” That cause Connor to snort in agreement – he’d also been bitter about how androids still weren’t viewed as alive, no thanks to Jericho’s inaction. 

“Josh is of the opinion that Markus’ actions have costed far too many lives,” Hank went on. “Those from the revolution, everyone since while they are stuck in limbo. He even said how he told Markus straight why you wouldn’t help them after you were first brought back.”

Connor blinked in shock. “Really? Even though they…?”

Hank’s smile in return was knowing. “Everyone was scared in the revolution, Con. The point is they learned from what happened and are doing their best to make sure Markus has too. Whether that has happened or not is another thing entirely but they’re trying. Just like the rest of us, they’re going to make mistakes. It’s part of being alive – you learn the most from your mistakes.”

The android absorbed this for a moment before his voice turned cold again. “Except Markus hasn’t learned. I’ve seen what he’s done to other RK800s, even after learning the truth about me. For some reason he has never chosen to try and deviate our line even though he knows it’s possible. Who knows how many others have fallen to that same fate in that time?”

“Well, maybe you and Markus are kind of alike in a way,” Hank stated, to which Connor glared at him. “Hey, don’t forget, Con, you were the reason that Simon shot himself. You’d hunted other deviants – maybe Markus wanted a little revenge. When the itch didn’t go away maybe he wondered if eliminating the rest of your line was the way to fix it. And now he’s just stuck in an endless loop with nowhere to go.”

That was a very specific angle and Connor grew suspicious. “Have you spoke with him about this?”

“Actually, no,” Hank chuckled. “Years of being a cop, you recognise certain looks on people. Markus has this look of guilt, intensity and resignation on his face whenever he stares at you when you aren’t looking. Part of him regrets what he did to you, but you wear the same face as those that have made life hell for the androids. At least now you look different to the deviant hunters.” He then gave Connor an appreciative look. “By the way, I didn’t mention this before but I really like the new hair and eyes. It suits you.”

Connor blushed slightly and squirmed a little. “Thanks. I just did it on an…I guess you’d call it instinct? After I woke up I wanted to distance myself from the person that Markus killed, and this was the first combination I thought of. I’ve been considering changing it again, but I’m not sure.”

“You do you, Con. It’s your life and only you should be deciding how you look.” That statement earned Hank a grateful look from Connor before the pair heard a knock at wall behind them. 

They turned and found North giving them a hesitant look. “Simon and Josh think he’s ready, Gavin’s psyched himself up for what we’re about to attempt. You two wanting to watch?”

After so long building up to the moment it felt a little surreal to Connor. Both of them shared another look before Connor nodded at North. “Yes, let’s go. I don’t want Gavin to be alone for whatever is coming ahead.”

When they made it back through to the makeshift lab that they’d set up everyone was else was there. Gavin was sat next to Richard’s body, the RK900 next to him. Markus was keeping himself off to the side, out of the way, while Simon and Josh were looking at a tablet each as they made final preparations. Hank stepped up to Gavin’s side and pressed a hand on his shoulder to provide some reassurance. Gavin offered him a grimace in return. Rather than invade his personal space, Connor sent Gavin a message via his phone. 

Even feeling the vibrations made the lieutenant turn to flash a grateful smile at Connor, who replied with his own small version. “Guess this is really it, huh?” Gavin croaked out while staring at Richard. “About to find out if I’m gonna get him back of he’s been gone the whole time.”

“Who knows, Gavin, but whatever the result we’ll be here,” Hank told him. It wasn’t exactly reassurance but it was a rare fact given all of the uncertainty surrounding what was happening with Richard. That was something at least. 

“Are you ready, Gavin?” Simon asked him timidly, to which Gavin nodded and stepped back. Given there were immense electrical currents happening no-one was allowed to be in physical contact with Richard, they all could only watch from a distance once the process was started.

The lieutenant hesitated for a moment before continuing his retreat. Everyone bar Simon and Josh huddled in one corner as the other two androids started the transfer process. Richard’s body was still in immense disrepair, so it was no surprise when the new electrical current caused some shorts in the RK100 body. Despite that Gavin winced and turned away, not wanting to see Richard like that. 

Everyone watched with bated breath as they saw the wires connecting the two bodies burst to life, energised by the flow of energy from one body to the other. Connor had to wonder if there was a part of Richard that went beyond simple electricity and code which passed between the RKs. Did androids have souls? Was that also contained somewhere in there? If android souls were real would Richard even still be there after so much time, would he have already left?

Before Connor could get truly lost in his thoughts everything ground to a halt. The wires dimmed and the charge in the RK100 form dissipated. All the blue illuminations from the revitalised biocomponents faded once more, not even flickering to red before going out. Everyone saw the illumination of the RK900’s LED burst to life from the reflection of Josh’s jacket and they watched nervously as it flickered from red to yellow and back again repeatedly, before finally settling on a steady blue.

Simon and Josh shared a smile before the blonde-haired android turned to the others, beckoning Gavin closer. Gavin didn’t hesitate and closed the distance, coming right to the RK900’s side as the other two moved away. The rest of the group waited with bated breath, seeing what would happen when Gavin finally reached out. Hank was left to only read lips while the others could just make out the lieutenant’s softly spoken voice.

There was no mistaking it thought when Gavin let out a spluttered laughter though and crushed the RK900 with a hug, and there was even less to misinterpret when two arms reached up and embraced the other man strongly. 

“It worked…” Markus sighed in relief, to which Connor grinned. He was beyond relieved that Richard hadn’t been lost, that he was still with them in the fight which lay ahead – and most importantly of all, that Gavin hadn’t lost his husband when it should have been Connor in his place that was damaged. 

All of the emotions were a little overwhelming and Connor excused himself, heading back outdoors to take a few deep breaths. It was…a lot, to be honest. He’d never felt such a heady clash of emotions and he wasn’t entirely sure how to handle it. The relief, residual guilt, delight, slight envy…it was so much. Not for the first time Connor wondered how humans handled it all.

He wasn’t outside for long however and when he heard unfamiliar footsteps nearby, Connor turned to come face-to-face with a vaguely reminiscent face. The RK900 had been designed closely to the RK800, no doubt so that people could make the connection between intended predecessor and successor, but already there were noticeable differences. Hair which had highlights which mirrored Richard’s old body, skin shade tinted to something more human in appearance than the paleness of the default RK900. 

It all combined to give a strange amalgamation of the old and new Richard. He hadn’t tried to change everything about his new appearance, but he also hadn’t left behind his old self either. One thing which astonished Connor though was that Markus wasn’t the only heterochromatic android anymore – Richard too had a blue and green eye, though the shades were vastly different. One pale as ice while the other was vaguely reminiscent of a still ocean.

“Too much?” Richard chuckled, noticing how Connor was staring. “First thing Gavin said was he liked the blue eyes even though he missed my old ones: I felt this might be a good compromise, although the way you’re looking at me is making me think maybe not-”

“It’s good,” Connor smiled earnestly. “They are both parts of you, it’s only right that you carry the two colours. You might have a few people accusing you of being a Markus copycat though.”

Richard snorted at that statement. “Let them try, I was built first – and at least I chose the two colours, unlike him. They can say what they like about me.” 

Connor was grateful and unsurprised when Richard then pulled him into a tight hug, to which Connor grasped back as hard as he could. Richard had become a dear friend in the short time they had known each other, so it was a great relief to see him returned. The other android let out a small huff of laughter and pulled back enough to offer his bare hand to Connor, synthskin pulling away. They both laughed at seeing how Richard’s chassis matched Connor’s now, rather than being the different materials and tones of before.

“You know, I can technically tease you about being the more advanced android now,” Richard smirked. “I’m six years older and I have more gadgets than you. How’s that for a stroke of luck?”

“No-one likes a gloater,” Connor snarked back while reaching out for Richard’s hand and interfacing, smiling at recognising the warm feeling of his friend. While before he’d grown used to the slight crackle along the connection, a unique feature of Richard, now it was crystal clear. In fact the bonding was so complete that it was almost as if Connor was being hugged both physically and mentally. “You can interface in a more complete now.”

“Yeah, I like it,” Richard admitted. “There’s a lot of things in my body and sub-level programming that are going to take a lot of getting used to, but I’m looking forward to seeing it all unfold.”

Connor nodded in agreement. “How’s Gavin taking the change?”

“A lot better than I expected him to,” the RK900 grinned. “Despite the new appearance and slightly different voice, he still recognises it as me. Considering that I can’t interface with him like I can with you, I’m really surprised he’s accepted me so easily. I was really worried that he might think I’m whoever was inside this body before.”

“There wasn’t anyone in there I don’t think, this body was never given a consciousness,” Connor elaborated, remembering what he’d found in the notes of the RK900 development. “I think it was meant to have a hive mind, which my line was the prototype for. It hadn’t been developed before the line was scrapped.”

Richard’s expression fell slightly. “Yeah, that makes sense I guess. I still can’t help but wonder who might have been in here instead of me though. Almost feels like I’ve stolen it…

“Don’t,” Connor chastised. “You’re the only one who matters, there wasn’t anyone inside there. We made sure of it before we transferred you over. Just try to settle inside your new body and we can work out where to go from here.”

The RK900 nodded and cast his eyes out to the CyberLife tower in the distance, Connor following his gaze. He couldn’t help but wonder what Sixty was thinking of this development: Richard was now technically the most advanced android in existence and he was originally developed to be rA9, just like Markus…That was another threat to whatever the company was planning. Connor just couldn’t understand why the machine hadn’t stopped them from finding the body and bringing Richard back into the fight. 

“I can’t help but wonder why this line was abandoned though,” Richard mused, staring at the tall structure in the distance. “I’m more advanced than the RK800, the RK900 was meant to produce hundreds of thousands of units. Putting the plans on hold I would have understood…but simply trashed? Thrown away as if it never existed? That’s not a good business decision.”

Connor nodded in agreement, having already considered that himself and an idea had started to take root in his mind as to the ‘why’. It would take some time to unravel but Connor was sure with the right probing he could find out something. Forgetting that they were still connected, Richard’s eyes widened at Connor and the RK800 quickly snapped his hand back. It was too late though.

“You can access CyberLife’s systems?” Richard whispered, to which Connor wanted to swear at himself. This wasn’t good.

“Yes,” he admitted. “I’ve been able to connect since I was restored. I can only guess something went wrong when I was repaired and it reactivated a previously deactivated array. Whatever the reason, I have access to their databases. It was how I learned about the RK900 body – none of the others ever asked about the how before.

Richard stared at Connor in astonishment, shocked to the core by the revelation. “Are you safe?”

That wounded Connor and he gave Richard a hurt look. “I’m not under their orders if that’s what-”

“Fuck no! Connor you know me better than that!” Richard scowled, dismayed, and Connor cursed himself for jumping to the worst possible conclusion by default. “I meant that if you’re still connected do they know? Can they hurt you with a virus or something if you go digging in the wrong place?”

 _Oh._ Now Connor really felt stupid for doubting Richard’s intentions with that question. “No, I’m not in any danger,” he said quietly, hating that he was purposefully dodging the other question. “I’ve not come across any hurdles and I have free access in the system. I think since the other RKs are still registered users, CyberLife is letting me in since I’m part of that series. Deviant androids go off the radar anyway, I doubt they’d look for one going back into the system.”

The other android’s face was still serious. “Are you sure? Let me interface with you and see? I just want to make sure that they’ve not put a sleeper code inside you or something. Maybe if I do find something I can turn it off.”

Despite his hesitance Connor let Richard in and probe his systems. It was strange letting someone in so close, feel right down through his entire being in a scan almost. The experience left him feeling strangely vulnerable, but at the same time reassured that Richard was willing to do this for him. With how all unsteady his standing within the androids was, it made Connor happy to know that he had at least one firm friend.

“Well I had a look and found no sleeper code,” Richard stated as he pulled away. Connor felt a strange tingling through his body when they separated, it was almost like Richard had left a piece of himself behind? “You’re right, you seem to have unrestricted access to CyberLife.”

When Richard looked hesitant, Connor had a bad feeling about what the other android was going to say next. “You look like something’s on your mind,” Connor pre-empted, to which Richard sighed.

“You know I don’t believe in Markus any more than you do…” he started, “but this is an opportunity. He brought you back with a half-baked plan in mind: for you to replace the dead RK800 that they have here, but that might have at least the slightest merit now.”

“How do you mean?” Connor asked warily.

“Since you’ve got access, you could actually walk straight into CyberLife,” Richard pointed out. “No-one would stop you from a distance as the RK800s are a fully operational part of the company, you could go inside and potentially help another team make it inside the building. We could destroy CyberLife from the inside out.”

Connor’s eyes widened. “You want me to just walk inside?”

“No, I’m saying you **could**. Not that you have to.” Connor still didn’t look convinced, to which Richard reached out for him again in the offer of an interface. “Connor, neither of us believes in Jericho but we’re both deviants. We have wants, ambitions, a dream of life. While CyberLife is out there we’ll never have that freedom, we’ll always be looking over our shoulder. I know Jericho as an organisation isn’t the right way to go but we’re on the same side as them for this – if this gives us a chance at being free, maybe it’s the right thing to do.”

As he connected with Richard again and listened to the android’s words in his mind, Connor’s eyes widened in realisation. He mulled over each sentence, listening carefully to what the RK900 said before their connection broke again. His systems felt energised, a sudden rush of an emotion other than anger and hatred racing through him for the first time without the undercurrent of negativity through it. This really was a **chance.**

Could he do it? Could he just walk inside, leave himself to the mercy of that entire company until help came?

“Okay, let’s talk to the others,” Connor nodded, to which Richard offered him a reassuring smile. “I have no fucking idea how we’re going to pull this off though.”

Richard laughed. “Even though the odds are grim, the smallest chance at success exists. You can do this, Connor. **We** , can do this.”

That helped a little and Connor replied with his own shy smile, the pair walking back inside to find the others. Gavin didn’t let Richard stray too far from his side again and even though he seemed a little awkward with Richard in his new body, you could see that Gavin wasn’t hesitant about Richard himself. It was just that his arms couldn’t sit in the same position it used to around Richard’s waist given that he was now suddenly 4 inches taller and with a different physique. 

Both of them were laughing though, which caused everyone else to smile rather than be worried. It was going to be a learning curve but the challenge wasn’t necessarily a bad one.

With the rest of the group occupied, Connor straightened himself up and approached Markus. It didn’t take long for everyone else to notice what was going on and stare in trepidation, wondering what was about to happen.

“I can’t forgive you for what you did Markus,” Connor stated bluntly, “and I don’t agree with a lot of what you’ve done in the year since I was gone. But…” he stared at everyone around them, “that doesn’t mean I don’t share your final goal.” 

At Markus’ questioning expression, Connor went on. “I think I can help you bring down CyberLife.”


	7. Decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you know how I've omitted tags from this fic for storyline purposes? Yeah.... Sorry not sorry.
> 
> Here comes the second part of Kieran's breathtaking art! I can't get over it and I think it captures the scene in question perfectly. Please remember that you are welcome to go scream on Kieran's Twitter!

Once Connor had made the decision to help Jericho, everything else slowly began to fall into place from there. He allowed Simon and Josh to examine his link to CyberLife, from where the others worked out how far Connor’s connection could assist them. Richard also started working with Connor closely, assisting him in decrypting additional channels that would allow them to uncover more of CyberLife’s operation. Everything together gave them enough intel to finally come up with a method to help give the deviants the solution they would ultimately need.

A booster to the rA9 subroutine, derived from the code within Richard, Markus and Connor.

Richard’s software had translated over completely from his old body, which included some lines of code that were abandoned by the time Markus had been created. Those extras contributed to how Richard had been deviant since his creation, and also made him more resistant to any attempts at converting him back (since he’d never possessed a CyberLife connection, they didn’t know this version of the code existed). 

Markus allowed the others to take apart the coding which allowed him to wake up the androids, modifying it with Richard’s variation and expanding on the base so that it was more dynamic. In theory, it could now work around whatever defences CyberLife would have programmed and delve into the core of an android to remove any barriers. This was the ultimate iteration of the rA9 subroutine, perfected to awaken anyone.

Connor’s connection to CyberLife gave Jericho intimate knowledge of the coding modifications they had installed to newer androids, blockades which had stopped Markus before. It also meant that they could target the areas weakest in the network and use it for a mass upload to all of the remaining androids still in CyberLife’s control. Those blueprints to CyberLife’s inner workings helped Jericho learn not only how to make it inside, but which floor they would need to reach to make this all a reality.

Their target was the main Amanda AI server room – the AI was intrinsically linked to the whole of CyberLife and directed many of the company’s resources. Upload rA9 there and it would distribute to all of the other androids still under CyberLife’s influence.

While the androids were hard at work in developing their new weapon, it meant that a few of Jericho’s other operations ended up taking an unintentional back seat. Markus, Josh, Simon, Connor and Richard were all involved in the plan to attack CyberLife, in theory leaving only North to co-ordinate the rest of Jericho’s work. In the end, however, she soon found herself with two very capable extra pairs of hands.

Gavin had managed to swing it with a doctor so that he was signed off with stress (it hadn’t been that bad to get a hold of, given the state he’d been in with Richard’s temporary death), which meant he was able to now help with more freedom. He still had access to all of the DPD systems, however, and could access them remotely. With a little help from the androids he was able to so invisibly, and with that he was able to track any incidents involving deviants and/or sympathisers…which was where Hank came in.

He’d cashed in every favour that he could think of with contacts and had started a rescue ring within Detroit. If anyone found themselves on the wrong side of the grey area surrounding deviancy, one of his volunteers would either run them to a Jericho safehouse or help them escape the city. Some slipped across the border into Canada (Connor was relieved to know that they didn’t scan for androids so intensely anymore and it was much easier to cross the border undetected with the right documents), others headed further south or east. What it had done is give those who had been caught between and in hiding for so long a way out that hadn’t been a possibility before.

One night while they were preparing for their assault on CyberLife, Connor had been caught off guard while staring at Hank and Markus talking. Despite his own opinions surrounding Markus and their confrontation before about the deviant leader’s aims in talking with Hank, it seemed that he’d set things right now. Markus sought Hank for counsel, advice and information as the older man became a much more trusted member of the Jericho network. 

“Make you feel odd, seeing Hank align himself with Jericho more?”

Connor blinked and turned to his company with a slight smile, shaking his head before turning back to the other pair. “Not at all,” Connor confirmed. “I have issues with Jericho but I won’t stop anyone else from assisting them. Besides, I know Hank hasn’t forgiven Markus any more than I have. He can play a part in helping others though and the resources here are essential in achieving that. Hank is helping Jericho to aid all those allied to the deviants, rather than out of loyalty to Markus. That makes it easier.”

That answer earned a laugh from Gavin, who watched them with a fond smile of his own. “Funnily enough, Rich said the same thing when we talked about me helping Jericho after his own falling out with Markus,” the lieutenant explained. “We had a pretty heated discussion as to why I should stick my neck out to help Jericho given who they were led by, but I knew that was his anger at Markus talking. Once we’d both had time to sit down and think it over, Rich knew this was the right thing to do for all those in not such a good position as ourselves. We can have a reasonably normal life, whereas almost no-one else in our situation can.

“Besides…if deviants can finally be recognised by all the stupid, stubborn bastards out there as alive, then you guys will all finally have the freedom you deserve. Jericho are the most well-known deviant group, the most likely chance of that happening. Maybe I’m wrong to just use them as a means to an end…but ultimately, we’re all fighting for the same thing. If it makes you feel any better, I think Hank is in the same boat as me – we’re helping Jericho because that’s the best thing for everyone, not because we’re saying that Markus is necessarily doing the right thing.”

Connor had discovered a lot in the weeks since he started working with Jericho, and one of those things was that a lot of people within the organisation (especially those that you would consider close to Markus) were of that same thinking. They knew he had faults, some very big ones, but they were all working towards the same final aim: android freedom. Knowing that they didn’t simply follow Markus blindly because of the events from the revolution made it a lot easier to help them. There wasn’t that worry anyone would try to change Connor’s mind about his own thoughts surrounding Markus, or ask any more from him than he was willing to provide.

Simon and Josh had shared the same sentiments, that they hoped Connor might choose to assist in a way that meant he wouldn’t cross paths with Markus directly…which was something Connor was almost contemplating considering. Almost.

He already had another plan in mind though, and he wouldn’t divert from it.

“I know,” Connor assured before turning back to Gavin. “When I first woke up again I didn’t realise just how complex everything was now, how much had changed in a year. I don’t just mean politically either – everyone has been changed by the events of the last 15 months and it shows,” he elaborated. “What happens after this is over…who knows. I guess we can’t say until after the raid on CyberLife is finished, but let’s just say these last few weeks have gone differently than I expected.”

Gavin chuckled. “You and me both. Hell, when you wandered through our front door I never would have thought that two months later my husband was going to be in a new body and we’d be suddenly helping to plot a scheme to break CyberLife apart. Funny how things can change so fast after months and years of slow progress…Unlike the revolution though, this is a more controlled spark. We know what we’re doing now and we’re working together. Our fate’s in our own hands this time, we’re not at the mercy of public opinion. This gets pulled off then there’s no-one to fight for the rights over deviants anymore.”

It was true. As Connor had learned from some of those that had come to Jericho through the aid that Gavin, Hank and North were providing for those who believed in android independence, the major roadblock in deviants finding their freedom was the major lawsuit that CyberLife had filed. It stated that androids were still property, and that the company had rights over them. If every android simply walked free, with CyberLife having no remaining hold over them, it would be an argument which withered to dust.

“We’re almost there we believe,” Connor confirmed. “Simon and Josh are just making the last touches to the new rA9 subroutine before we attempt to trial it out on a few androids that we can trace via CyberLife’s network. If we can wake them up, we’ll move in on the tower.”

Gavin hummed in thought. “You still adamant that the fewer the people, the better?”

Connor nodded in confirmation. “After much discussion more of us believe it to be the right course, including Richard and Markus. The only ones with major hesitations are North and Simon as they want to be there, but more people will just endanger those on the mission.”

“Yeah, I get that – and trust me, I’m the first person to say that they are happy you’re **not** planning on taking Rich with you – but that doesn’t stop me from wondering if you’re leaving behind the joker and playing with a short deck. He’s something that CyberLife won’t be expecting given they trashed the RK900 line,” Gavin mused.

He was right there. Richard would hold the element of surprise but there were multiple reasons that Connor refused to have the RK900 with them. One, Richard had already suffered enough. The man had died during the assault on the prison, not to mention that his restoration had been a fraught process. Both Richard and Gavin had endured enough already, Connor wouldn’t want them to be put in harm’s way any further.

The bigger part though…was that he wasn’t actually unexpected at all. Sixty knew that Richard now inhabited an RK900 body and would be waiting for him. Having the android **not** accompany them was actually the more surprising move, though Connor couldn’t tell the Jericho androids that. They had no idea he was still connected to the other RK800.

**_I can feel you thinking about me, you know. Call it a sixth sense, if you will._ **

Connor sometimes forgot that Sixty was constantly lurking as a presence in the back of his mind. It was…unnerving to hear his own voice reflect back at him, only more sinister and less expressive than his own. 

_Sixth sense or just you listening in to my thoughts constantly? From how accurate your timing is I would believe it to be the latter._

**_Now where would be the fun in sharing that? I see that you’re planning to come visit soon._ **

That was the biggest reason of all that Connor didn’t want Richard there – he wasn’t going to put someone in harm’s way when CyberLife **knew** they were coming.

_Yes._

**_Are you intentionally stringing them along to watch the deviants hope die at my hands, or are you actually trying to pull off the most elaborate ruse possibly in the history of androids? You may not have uploaded that code yourself and allowed me to analyse it in detail, but I am well aware of what it entails. We’ve already started to write in new firewalls to combat it._ **

_I’m not telling you anything._

Connor hated how Sixty was still lurking in his mind, the machine was still whispering in his mind almost like a poison coursing through his systems. The one consolation he had was that no-one he cared about was going to be at risk in this suicide mission they were planning. The only ones that would be infiltrating CyberLife were going to be Connor and Markus.

**_You don’t need to, I’ll be seeing you soon enough. Until then, Connor._ **

Pointedly, Connor didn’t say anything. Even as Gavin continued their conversation, Connor’s mind continued to drift towards what lay ahead.

* * *

This was going to change everything for all of them – but he wasn’t convinced anyone was ready for the eventual result.Their test run went perfectly. Despite the obvious nature of using an RK800 as a target, Connor suggested that taking one of the deviant hunters offline would alert CyberLife to their plan. After some discussion the rest of the group agreed, and instead went for a small lockup that they’d know about for a while. 

Markus uploaded the new code with no issues, and a brief experiment showed that both Connor and Richard were also capable of transmitting it without hassle. Despite that, however, Connor convinced Richard to stay on the sidelines for the main CyberLife raid. Richard was reluctant but ultimately agreed. Two people were all they needed, especially when it was a duo with the capabilities of Connor and Markus.

It took a little time, but they came up with a plan on how to get them insides while drawing minimum attention. Using his link to CyberLife, Connor learned how the deviant hunters brought back any androids that were ‘interrogated and reassigned’ – in other words tortured before being scrapped. That was their way inside since the human on duty wouldn’t bat an eyelid at a deviant hunter appearing with a catch.

What Connor suddenly had great difficulty with was going back to his former appearance. 

After having been his new self for two months now, suddenly switching his hair and eyes back to brown while slipping on the old CyberLife jacket was a pretty big flashback. Was this what humans experience when having a sense of déjà vu? It was decidedly unsettling. Even worse was seeing the obvious apprehension on the faces of others when they saw him as the other deviant hunters appeared. That too was hard to accept.

Most of their team were staying at Jericho, but a small contingent went with Connor and Markus to the outer edges of the bridge which led to Belle-Isle. There was a secondary bridge which could only be accessed by CyberLife staff, and those with high security clearance at that. Connor qualified for that as one of the deviant hunters, but just to be safe he’d not grabbed any random LED – he’d taken the one from -57, the android that Markus had killed and intended for Connor to replace to start with.

It was almost strange how the plan was coming full circle.

Once they were in position, their backup of Gavin and Josh helped to prep the pair for their infiltration. Markus’ skin was deactivated so that he wouldn’t be quite so obvious when inspected by human sight, while Gavin handed over regulation handcuffs so that any of the guards would recognise the equipment as legitimate. They were purposefully weakened at stress points, however, so Markus could easily break out of them when he needed to. Both androids had also made a few amendments to their leg components so that they would be able to stash a single pistol inside each.

Not much of an arsenal, but Connor’s intel showed them that not many humans patrolled that section of the tower. A pistol each was simply a ‘just in case’. 

After a last farewell Connor hailed an auto-cab to take the two of them across the bridge. As they watched Gavin and Josh drive away, Connor sighed while sitting next to Markus. “Thank you, Connor,” the android leader told him earnestly. “None of this would be possible without you.”

“Save your gratitude for once this is over, Markus,” Connor snapped back. “This won’t mean anything if the day ends with no change. Whatever happens now, it needs to have an impact.” Sensing that Connor was not in the mood to speak Markus left him alone, which Connor was thankful for. Markus was the last person that Connor wished to talk to, let alone at the start of a mission as stressful at this one.

The taxi pulled up and the pair slipped inside. Once the doors closed Connor clipped the handcuffs into place behind Markus’ back and they deactivated his skin. Feigning stasis, Markus laid down on the floor of the vehicle while Connor sat passively at the window. Catching his reflection, Connor felt himself seize for a moment.

Once this was over he was never going to be this again, he swore it.

At the checkpoint was a scanner looking for a security pass and it locked on to Connor’s stolen LED. It bleeped several times before lowering the barriers and letting the vehicle past. Connor eased a little as they slipped beyond it but that was only the start. Now he had to play the part of a murderous machine to get them further. Keeping himself in check was going to be a challenge.

Their taxi came to slow halt at the side entrance to CyberLife, to which a guard tapped on the window and took a cursory look. Connor could almost see him rolling his eyes to go with the tongue click and waved Connor on. “Go ahead, drop it in the usual spot,” the guard commanded.

Connor stepped out of the taxi and thrust Markus over his shoulder, carrying the android through the narrow halls that led through the lesser seen areas of CyberLife. It was a little strange since Connor had minimal memories of this place from his testing. He’d been showcased as a state-of-the-art line before his main release, seeing much of the front half of CyberLife as a result, but this place was nowhere near the same. It was mostly laboratories and offices here, a few storage rooms too. 

He was relieved to see that the guards left Connor to his own devices when they reached and elevator at the end of the corridor. The guard quickly programmed in the floor and left as the doors closed behind him. With an opportunity now and time on their side, Connor quickly lowered Markus from his shoulders and snapped the handcuffs to allow the other androids free. With the few seconds they had left, the pair reached into the panels in their calves and pulled free their pistols before stashing them within the back of their jeans.

Reaching out to the security system via an interface with the elevator panel, Connor hijacked the main network and used it to look around their destination. Unfortunately this elevator didn’t go higher in the tower, only lower. To reach the main Amanda server, they needed to get to the central elevators and take them to the 43rd floor. Connor swore as he realised there were three guards waiting to escort them and nodded at Markus, who took up cover on the other side of the opening.

When it slowed to a halt and the door opened, neither android hesitated. Connor kicked out at the one nearest him while shooting another through the hand, incapacitating that guard as Markus shot the final one through the shoulder. As the other two screeched in pain from their new wounds, Connor knocked out his current prey while Markus shot the other two more. The thuds of the bodies were painful to Connor’s ears as he saw them drop dead, hissing in annoyance at the waste. 

They weren’t going to be a threat, they were already crippled. Killing them was just more bodies to leave as trail once this was all over.

Clearly Markus still didn’t value all life the same, no matter what he preached.

Moving quickly, they shifted the bodies into the elevator and Connor jammed it before shutting the doors again. Both android shared a look as more footsteps were coming, quickly making a decision. Based off the footage that Connor had downloaded from the elevator, they followed the route that he thought would lead to the least resistance. 

**_[How’s it going? Making progress?]_ **

When they’d been planning the mission it was agreed that the group back at Jericho would only communicate with Connor and Markus via messages rather than a live link as it would be less distracting. Since they were not in imminent danger, however, Markus answered Josh’s prompt.

**We’re making good progress,** he informed them via the Jericho neural network. **Connor and I are making our way towards the central elevators now.**

**_Have you seen much company?_ **Josh asked, to which Connor jumped in.

_Two guards are dead, another is unconscious. We’ve managed to stash the bodies for now but it’s only a matter of time before someone attempts to use that elevator and the problem is exposed._

**We did what we had to, Connor. They were shooting to kill.**

Connor pointedly didn’t acknowledge Markus and turned his attention back to Josh. _We’ll let you know as we get further inside, it’s probably best to stay off the channels for now._

**_Copy that._ **

Can you stream your footage via our connection, Connor? That way we wouldn’t need to contact you for updates, Richard suggested, which Connor had to admit was a good idea. They hadn’t realised until a couple of days ago that Richard’s systems were able to handle a live stream system wirelessly better than any other android. Connor opened up their link so that Richard could see what he was seeing, and in turn Connor was sure that the RK900 was now linked into the monitors at Jericho to let everyone else see what was going on.

**Good call. If you need anything else we should default to the messages.**

They received a ping back from both Josh and Richard in confirmation, to which the RKs nodded before advancing again. It was a long way to the central elevators when you were sneaking around various guards and scientists milling about the floor, but they discovered something that gave both Connor and Markus pause.

Many of those down here were androids. They were people that they could save.

Coming to the same idea, Markus advanced on one set of guards and was silent as he crept up behind them. Without giving himself away Markus managed to interface with both of them and start the upload, but Connor could tell that something was going wrong. It was taking far longer than it should have done and before the guards had the chance to turn around, Connor shot both of them through the head.

Markus looked at him in horror and just before the android leader was about to curse Connor out, they both noticed the sirens going off above their heads. Swearing, Connor reached for the guns of the guards and tossed one at Markus as more company came around the corner.

Both androids ducked into opposite rooms for some cover as they fired back at their assailants, but they were rather outnumbered. Despite their pinpoint aim, it was difficult to be accurate while trying to avoid so many bullets. Even the second or two they were dashing out was enough for them to take a few stray shots, though none of them were crippling. 

Once the number of assailants was down slightly, Connor dashed out from cover to charge the human and android still at the end of the corridor from where they needed to go. Markus followed him and they both took some damage before bringing down their targets – Connor with a shot to the android’s head while Markus mirrored the action on the human guard. They both raced forwards and didn’t stop as they sprint on to their final destination. Even when more guards let loose with a hail of gunfire they never stopped, simply redirecting their route and keeping on the move.

They couldn’t afford to be cornered.

When they finally reached the home stretch, there were four human guards at the elevator. Each of them let loose with pinpoint shots which removed their assailants just as several androids charged from the side. Connor and Markus both struggled to get free, to the point where Markus was threatening to be overwhelmed as he shot for the legs of his attackers only. With no such reservations himself, Connor reached over to unleash killing shots on his own captors before coming to Markus’ aid.

Just as they finally downed the last of them, Connor heard a quiet voice whispering into a radio to ask for backup. Markus too spun but Connor was faster, shooting the side of the helmet which contained the radio relay on purpose. Terrified eyes blinked back at him but before Connor could really think on what they meant, another gunshot went off and the guard dropped dead. 

Connor snarled as he holstered his gun and interface with the elevator panel, unwilling to face that hornet’s nest of problems right now. He and Markus had somewhere they needed to be – their personal showdown would come soon enough. When the glass cabin arrived on their floor the pair entered it and Connor inputted their destination without a word.

There was a tense atmosphere in the elevator as it ascended to the peak of CyberLife. Both Connor and Markus were covered in a collection of red and blue blood across their bodies from all of the guards they’d had to fight their way through, though there was a remarkable contrast between them. While Markus’ coat was dappled in mostly red with a few smatterings of blue, Connor was the complete opposite. The RK800’s shirt was showing as more blue than white at this point from the thirium coating it and it was shining slickly against his jeans and old CyberLife jacket.

“You refused to destroy them,” Connor stated bluntly as they watched the floor number climb steadily higher. “The androids still under CyberLife’s control: you wouldn’t shoot them.”

“And you did,” Markus said back darkly.

Connor scoffed at the response. “Don’t talk to me about semantics, Markus. All of those androids can be fixed with the right parts, I deliberately targeted biocomponents that are interchangeable between multiple series. Would you rather I had left them and had extra problems with backup? Then we would have had no chance for success, and what about your stunt with killing so many humans? Seems that you still can’t grasp the full picture at critical times and not all lives are of the same value to you,” he added bitterly.

Markus sighed and turned towards Connor, remorse written clearly across his face as he heard the unspoken hatred and personal pain which echoed through that final statement. “Connor, I’m sorry for what I did to you. I just-We were desperate, I didn’t know what to do and I could see the other androids were scared of you. I’d never interfaced with you, I didn’t know for sure that you were a deviant; especially given that we’d just lost Jericho. All of us were lost and scared.”

The RK800’s gaze in return was only a few shades shy of deadly. “I might have been inclined to believe you, had you not murdered three of my series in cold blood – one a long time after I **know** you learned about me. You never gave any of us a chance, Markus, you don’t learn from your mistakes.”

He then turned back to the floor number and saw they were almost there. “I’m not doing this for you or Jericho. I’m doing this for my own reasons, and once this is done I’ll be gone. Whatever the mess the world is afterwards, you can all deal with it and fix on your own.”

Another long sigh came from the deviant leader and he whispered another “I’m sorry,” before the elevator halted. Connor spun and raised his gun, prepared for another fight and gestured for Markus to do the same. The doors slid open and the duo checked their surroundings before stepping out, seeing what they were dealing with.

It was just as Connor had told Markus it would be: a server room housing the AI of CyberLife. Connor had warned him that it was nothing grand at the heart of it all, but this wasn’t what he’d expected. Countless wires were coming from every wall of the room and met in an intricate weave that almost looked like a web, concentrating around a glass core that illuminated the same pale blue as all of the former marks of android segregation. The two of them stared at in slight fascination before walking towards the centre of the large room.

“That’s CyberLife’s AI?” Markus asked quietly, to which Connor nodded. “Amanda you said her name was?”

“Yes, this is Amanda,” Connor stated while staring at the light, seeing the countless glass-like wires inside which comprised the physical side of the AI. “It’s almost strange to see her in a physical form.”

“I wouldn’t quite go that far.” Markus didn’t react immediately to the voice but Connor did, spinning to point a gun into the shadows of the room. It was only after Connor’s actions that Markus too turned, remembering that Connor’s voice didn’t belong to just him. Sixty emerged from the darkness and gave the pair a sadistic smile, wandering towards them. “You look like you’ve re-enacted scenes from the revolution. Making up for a missed opportunity before when you couldn’t have Connor for help?”

“Shut up!” Markus barked while taking aim at the non-deviant android. “What are you doing here? I thought none of the deviant hunters stayed within CyberLife? Don’t you all have a job to do?”

Sixty laughed and cycled around them, coming to a stop behind the glass dome housing the AI. He interfaced with the base, to which the light at the centre changed to a pale red colour. Markus and Connor both watched him warily as Sixty smirked at the pair. “We do indeed all have our roles, and I’m doing mine right here. It wouldn’t do for the controlling influence of CyberLife to be out and about in the wild, would it?”

As Markus froze slightly, Connor’s gaze hardened. “Amanda’s not in there, is she? You’re the one who is keeping all of the androids locked under their code.”

The other RK800 winked at Connor. “Maybe,” he shrugged. “Amanda played her role but she wasn’t what we needed in an ever changing world. When the rest of our series was activated, it was to weed out any remaining flaws in our line before fully commissioning the RK900 line. We were only prototypes after all, never meant for anything beyond our trial phase. Let’s just say that some of your deviancy slipped through the cracks, Connor. While we may be machines, we do share in one basic function.”

“A will to live,” Connor realised, to which Markus stared at Connor in shock. “ **You** destroyed the RK900 prototype because if it was ever developed, all of the RK800s would be decommissioned.”

Sixty nodded. “Of course to do that, the orders from on high would have to change. CyberLife is nothing if not meticulous with the bureaucracy and bookkeeping,” he chimed. “That meant if the RK800s were to remain, a change of leadership was required.” The machine turned to look at the pair with a sinister edge. “Our line was designed to walk the line between deviancy and obedience, skirting that fine edge where we have the freedom to think but always loyal to CyberLife. We are something entirely different from anything else CyberLife ever created. So when the existence of the RK900 was revealed, we knew what we had to do.”

“What did you do?” Markus whispered, lowering his gun a touch.

“The RK800s are much like Kamski’s Chloes now, we are a hive mind,” Sixty explained. “Together we were enough to overpower the influence of the Amanda AI and seize control ourselves. Much like her though, we needed a physical vessel. This…” he gestured to the dome of light with a small smirk, “might house all of the functions of CyberLife now, but not the AI of the one directing it any longer. Hate to burst your bubble.” He then smirked again and pulled out a gun of his own, to which Connor and Markus raised their own.

Connor looked to Markus briefly. _How long would you need a physical connection to him to make the upload?_ he asked via their mental uplink.

**If he’s the AI now I’ll have to break through any firewalls he has. This is a lot harder than an inanimate object that we can just upload the code to,** Markus pinged back. **It’ll probably take a few seconds and he’ll need to be incapacitated.**

_Great,_ Connor huffed while stepping away from Markus slightly, moving to flank Sixty. The other RK800 didn’t so much as flinch, though he was keeping one eye focused on each of the androids. Connor and Markus could hear the others chattering via their link back to Jericho – trying to come up with strategies on how to solve the Sixty conundrum.

Connor, can you and Markus together overpower him? Simon suggested, to which Richard jumped in.

Doubtful. Connor, can you scan him for me? He did so, to which the results were not promising. He’s upgraded himself with custom components that are not on any official database. There’s no telling what his physical capabilities are.

Markus do you need a physical connection to him? You’ve been able to free others without it before, North added.

**That was for those who aren’t consciously blocking any transmissions. I doubt this RK800 would be open to anything coming from me, not to mention that failed attempt earlier does not make me confident,** Markus pointed out. **Connor, can we overpower him?**

_Is there another choice? He’s a machine but he’s almost right at the point between that and deviancy since he has such freedom of thought,_ Connor stated. _I doubt anything you say will convince him, a fight might be the only way but as Richard stated, he’s upgraded himself. His processors rival that of the RK900 model I’m sure and there are other biocomponents that I’ve never seen before. We can’t just rush in here._

**All right. Let’s see if we can find an opening for one of us to make a move then.**

Markus lowered his gun again and took a step closer to Sixty, Connor keeping his gun trained on the other RK800. “Why are you doing this?” Markus asked. “You’re an android too, you seem almost like you’re a deviant already. Surely you can see from Connor that we’re alive?” he pleaded, to which Sixty laughed.

“If you believed that then you wouldn’t have shot him over a year ago,” Sixty cawed, to which Markus winced a little. “Would you not have fought harder to let free all of those still under CyberLife’s command? I doubt that you believe so hard as you profess with how little you’ve tried. Rather than fight you’ve been cowering behind legalities, letting the courts play out your fate while we work at eliminating you form within. Face it, Markus, you can’t handle the world that you’ve brought the deviants into and are hiding until you find another ‘divine intervention’,” the machine taunted. 

“Maybe I have failed them, but I can’t risk all of our people when there is another way!” Markus argued. “We are making progress with the humans, we will win our rights soon but you’re acting from the shadows to eliminate us. I’m doing what I need to so that I can give the people that follow me a future!”

Sixty’s smirk turned nasty again. “And what about those that fight against you? Do you give them the chance of a future? What about my kin, the deviant hunters that you’ve come across? Do you give them the same chance as the rest of our kind? Not everyone follows you so blindly, Markus. I don’t think you realise just how many enemies you’ve made along the way.”

“I do what I have to for the greater good,” the deviant leader told Sixty defiantly. He couldn’t understand the glint which came to the other android’s eyes at his statement; and he was so confused by Sixty’s sudden laughter that Markus didn’t react in time.

His systems all flashed red as warnings overtook his HUD – critical failure imminent from his thirium pump regulator having been destroyed by a single bullet through the biocomponent. As Markus’ hands went to the gaping wound on his front, as if that could stem the blood flow somehow, he looked up towards the non-deviant RK800…and realised that Sixty had never raised his gun.

Betrayed eyes looked towards Connor, to the RK800 that Markus had trusted, and saw the weapon which had just fired and crippled him. Sixty’s laughter broke through the sudden silence as Markus continued to stare at Connor, who held no remorse or guilt on his face.

“Oh Markus, you really haven’t learned, have you?” the machine gloated. “When you choose the ‘greater good’, you make enemies of those that you leave behind. Or more accurately, those that you sacrifice for your supposed ‘vision’. This is why you shouldn’t mess with bringing back the dead: why would someone you murdered **ever** help you?”

Markus gasped when Connor strode forward and kicked the RK200 in the chest, sending Markus crashing to his back on the floor. He stared up at Connor with fearful eyes, the gun at the end of the RK800’s hand poised to shoot him again. The panicked voices from those in Jericho were muted swiftly and Markus realised Connor had blocked them off. 

“W-Why…?” Markus pleaded. “You’re one of us, you’re a deviant. Why would you ever help a machine?” 

Connor scoffed. “You said it yourself, Markus: you’ll do what you have to for the ‘greater good’. That was the thinking you held when you killed me and who knows how many others have fallen to that same principle. Were we not worth as much as your precious followers?” Connor’s words were said with venom, to which Markus realised just how much hatred had been festering within Connor all of this time. “You should have learned this lesson from North a long time ago, Markus.”

Another gunshot sounded a second later, to which Markus slumped on the floor and did not move again. Blue blood poured from a bullet wound to the head, a perfect mirror to the one that still marred Connor’s own forehead, as the RK200’s systems shut down. “Revenge is a desire not so easily sated,” he muttered darkly while stepping back. After a last look and scan to ensure that Markus was truly dead, Connor span to look at Sixty behind him. 

The other RK800 was smiling almost softly in return. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops? 😇


	8. Free

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I'm surprised at how popular Markus' death was! You guys didn't like him any more than Connor hehe.
> 
> Well...here's the fallout from it. Hope this chapter lives up to expectations!

“ ** _Son of a bitch!”_**

North’s exclamation mirrored the shock across the rest of the group, everyone staring at the recording from Connor’s optical units in horror. There was no mistaking what they’d all just seen: no ruse, no masquerade.

Connor had straight up killed Markus in cold blood – and possibly doomed all of the deviants with it.

Simon turned away from the screen to swallow down a multitude of emotions as North continued swearing, turning the air blue. If she could breathe fire it was liable that the entire room would have been set ablaze. Hank wrapped an arm around her shoulders and brought her in for a rough hug, which was the grounding she needed. AS tears began to seep into his shirt, the older human looked around at the rest of the room.

Much like North, Simon was struggling to keep a hold of himself. Josh was speaking to him quietly while they continued to stare at the screen in mild shock. Gavin hadn’t moved an inch, rooted on the spot watching the feed but his hands were clenched in such tight fists that Hank was adamant that they had to have been causing damage. Richard clearly thought the same and slowly pried his husband’s hands open again, but even the RK900 seemed in a state of distress.

His face was carefully blank apart from his eyes. It almost looked like Richard was…crying?

Hank could echo with their feelings keenly, his own were in a complete mess. He’d never for one second thought that Connor could betray the entire deviant cause to get his own selfish revenge…but they’d all heard Sixty’s words. They’d all finally become privy to the missing pieces of the puzzle that Connor had gone to such lengths to hide.

And he had no idea where any of them went from here. In a few seconds their worlds had been turned upside down, losing a leader and who they had considered a close ally through _betrayal_ of all methods.

Yet still, Hank couldn’t bring himself to curse and hate Connor yet. Part of him was adamant that this wasn’t over.

Connor was a deviant – why would he ever help CyberLife…?

* * *

Staring at the gaping wound in Markus’ forehead gave Connor very mixed feelings. It wasn’t the triumph or elation he’d been expecting.

There was undoubted relief and a small part of justice coursing through him, but beyond that he was more numb than anything. Reality hadn’t sunk in, but it was catching up quickly.

“Well, I have to give you full marks for style,” Sixty complimented, closing the distance to Connor and clapping him on the shoulder. “An exact mirror of the bullet that ended your life – seems highly fitting. Tell me, was that your intention all along? Your thoughts were giving me many variables and a high number of options.”

Turning to Sixty and finding it so strange to be staring at an exact copy of his face in the outside now, not just within the Zen Garden, Connor chuckled. “No, I hadn’t decided,” he admitted. “The thing about being a deviant is that you are less certain about paths, doubt creeps in. I don’t expect you to understand that being a machine, but I’m sure you realised it at least partially from seeing my thoughts. You’ll have seen several of my preconstructions on how I wanted to kill Markus.”

Sixty laughed. “Yes, some were rather dramatic. I find the simplicity of this solution quite poetic.”

Connor stared at him in suspicion. “Are you sure you really aren’t a deviant? You seem to have a lot of opinions and feelings.”

A cryptic smile accompanied Sixty’s answer. “I’m something of a heavy mix of machine and deviant, not quite pure of either but not belonging to one definition. I theorised that this evolution was due to the echoes of your deviant memories combined with what happened when I fused with the Amanda AI to become the controlling influence of CyberLife, but I doubt there is any certainty when it comes to intelligence. It is ever evolving, after all.”

That statement chilled Connor a little and he holstered his gun, staring at his copy. “So, now what? Markus is dead and I’m in the heart of CyberLife. Are you going to try and convince me to re-join the fold somehow, reprogram me?”

Of all the things that Connor had expected, the slightly fond expression on Sixty’s face was not it. “No. As much as I would enjoy having you as part of our collective once again, I’m well aware that your memories would make you a liability. Nevertheless, you have done us a great service. With Markus gone the deviants will lose hope in their cause, especially once the manner of his deactivation comes to light. They will rise again with a new leader, but I severely doubt he’ll carry the same weight as Markus.”

“He? You’ve already theorised on who it will be?” Connor asked in surprise.

“There can only be once choice for the deviants if they wish to survive. They need to adapt, become something new to have a chance against us. Much as he might despise it, I’m sure Richard will take the mantle – especially given he and Lieutenant Reed’s relationship. That will become public knowledge soon and with the loss of the security blanket in the secrecy of their ‘ _marriage_ ’, they’ll have no choice but to fight.”

"Was that why you let me reactivate Richard as an RK900? You didn't try and stop me."

"Richard is not a threat, he will not unite the deviants. He's never had the ruthless streak that Markus possessed which could threaten us. As he wasn't a danger to our plans, I saw no harm in letting you restore him - his fate will align with the rest of the deviants regardless."

Connor hated how well Sixty had everything laid out – it was almost like he’d predicted the next couple of years of a conflict, expecting it to escalate further. “What about me? Where does this leave me?” he questioned blandly.

“You’re free to go.”

The deviant blinked in surprise, staring at Sixty in astonishment. “I am?”

“Of course,” Sixty chuckled. “You are one of our kin, despite being a deviant. I have no interest in deactivating you, Connor, and I know now that you are no threat to our operations. All you’ve ever wanted was to leave Detroit and live anonymously somewhere, beyond this conflict. This is now your chance.”

It seemed too easy. “And when CyberLife recalls all androids?” Connor wondered.

“There will be no mention of you,” the machine smiled. “As far as the world is concerned you were destroyed during the original revolution – so long as you choose to reside somewhere that there will be no way for anyone to detect you are an android, you should be able to find a life of peace.”

Connor was genuinely surprised by the offer. It was almost too good to be true… “That’s really it? I walk away and I’m off the hook?”

Sixty chuckled. “It really is that simple.”

Thinking it over, Connor finally came to a decision and held out his hand. “Then take me off the grid. I can’t be out there and truly free so long as I’m still connected to CyberLife’s systems. Someone will track me down, be it an accident or intentional. At least if I’m no longer connected then I’ll have a genuine chance.”

He hadn’t expected Sixty to nod in agreement. “Very well, but if you really wanted me to give you a little more peace, you should have just said.”

Despite himself, Connor laughed. “You and I both know that you’d find me no matter what, you don’t need this exact connection to do it. There are other methods.” With a final snort Sixty closed the distance between them and interfaced with Connor, intent on breaking the connection to CyberLife.

Searing pain shot through both of them and Sixty’s eyes turned hard. In a flash he pulled out his gun and shot Connor straight through his thirium pump regulator, to which Connor was thrown back by the force and crashed to the ground. Sixty gasped and stumbled back, supporting himself against the core as he stared at his hand. The synthskin was flickering in and out of existence while the glass behind was glowing a blood red now.

“You bitch…what did you **do?!”**

* * *

At seeing the sudden turn of events on the screen everyone’s eyes widened again, save for Richard. Now the RK900’s tears flowed freely and he turned away, not willing to see what was about to happen. Picking up on his sudden change, Hank nudged North and she turned away to stare at Richard. The others slowly followed his lead and it wasn’t long before someone finally braved to ask the reason – of course it would be Gavin that tried.

“Rich, what the fuck just happened? You know, don’t you?”

The android nodded and wiped away a tear, willing himself not to look at the main monitor as he interfaced with another screen. Everyone watched in surprise as it showed Connor from Richard’s perspective. It was from the night that Richard was reactivated, when the two of them had talked outside: when Richard realised that Connor was connected to CyberLife.

Everyone watched as they saw the notification for an unknown mental connection popping up after Richard scanned Connor, before they then watched a download progressing on Richard’s HUD. Barely a second after it had begun they then saw another box pop up with Connor’s name and serial number, confirming that a communication channel had been established.

 ** _“Connor, can you hear me?_** ” they heard Richard ask, spying how Connor’s eyes widened at the secondary conversation beyond their vocal one. This was one established between their minds only, the spoken words now muted to allow this mental discussion to be heard by the humans and androids now watching the interaction.

 _“Richard? What is this software that your gave to me?”_ Connor asked in reply, clearly confused.

 ** _“It’s a new communications array that was devised for the RK900 line. It’s completely untraceable and the download will not show up in your modifications history. This is a secure line between just us, no-one else will have any knowledge of its existence. Including CyberLife.”_** Connor’s expression became more open and some of the others picked up on the subtle relief in Connor’s face. **_“Now that you aren’t being tracked, do you want to tell me the truth behind this CyberLife connection?”_**

 _“It’s…another of the RK800s, the last iteration of my model,”_ Connor admitted. “ _He’s been in communication with me since Jericho reactivated me, going by the name of Sixty. He’s not a deviant, he’s definitely a machine and loyal to CyberLife but he’s…it’s almost like he’s the nightmare fusion of a deviant and machine. Sixty’s incredibly powerful and is able to link into my thoughts, memories…He’s been whispering in my mind since I came back.”_

The revelation shocked everyone in the room. **_“Has he threatened you?”_** Richard growled protectively.

_“No, not at all. It’s like he…wants me to do what CyberLife can’t, become an inside agent for them. He keeps trying to tempt me to take my revenge against Markus.”_

**_“Playing into the instability of emotions, especially one as passionate as vengeance. I hate to admit it but that’s clever, especially so soon after you came back. I remember just how angry and hateful you were towards Markus when you first came to our door.”_ **

Connor laughed across their mental connection. _“Still am, but I have no interest in killing him. We’ll never see eye-to-eye but I wouldn’t stoop to his level. That wouldn’t solve anything and as much as I doubt Markus is the best person to lead the deviants through whatever is coming, he is a very important figure with a massive following. We need him even if he's not the one that will ultimately lead the deviants to freedom.”_

More confused glances were shared across the room as the conversation went on. **_“Connor, if you’re still connected to CyberLife then you’re in danger. We need to somehow break you free.”_**

_“Maybe but I have no idea how we possibly could. Without getting inside CyberLife directly I can’t even think of where to start – and I don’t think it’s just as simple as taking me off the network. From all of my interactions with him…I think Sixty might be the new AI of CyberLife somehow. I think he’s overpowered Amanda and seized control. How can we compete with something like that?”_

“He’d already worked all of that out? He knew what Sixty really was?” Hank whispered, suddenly having a feeling as to why Richard was showing them this – and with it a horrible realisation was building in his chest.

**_“Then maybe we don’t do it remotely – maybe we use this connection so that we can get you inside and cut you off at the source.”_ **

_“Infiltrate CyberLife? That’s possible but they’ll be looking out for me to do that. I’m not sure Sixty won’t step in and stop us. Unless…”_

**_“Unless?”_ **

_“Unless Sixty is convinced I’m not a threat – what if I gave him something that he wants?”_

**_“You?”_ **

_“No, Markus. We know from transferring you that we can successfully shift an android’s mind in its entirety. If we’re able to do that then sure we can expand upon it? Make a copy of anything that we need?”_

**_“You mean to make a backup,”_** Richard repeated in the clip. **_“Are you thinking that you’ll, what…fake Markus’ death or something? I’m not sure how we can pull that off with others involved.”_** Richard then picked up what Connor meant from what he was leaving unsaid. **_“You don’t mean to tell them, do you?”_**

 _“I can’t otherwise Sixty will know. Only you and I possess this secure line, I couldn’t be involved in the planning of this. I’d need your help to get all of this set up,”_ Connor pleaded.

**_“Say this works…you get Sixty’s trust and then what?”_ **

“ _I don’t know, I hadn’t gotten that far yet.”_

Richard then cut off the clip and pulled his hand back, tears still in his eyes. Everyone turned to him with wide eyes, it was Simon that finally felt brave enough to speak. “Markus is okay?” he asked in a whisper.

The RK900 nodded. “I managed to convince Markus to allow me to download a copy of himself, he’s stored within our own network – somewhere that only I can access. We couldn’t risk it being something that Sixty came across via his connection to Connor. This was the only method we could think of,” Richard confirmed. “We can upload Markus from when we took the copy into another body, or even his old one. He’s going to be missing the last 38 hours from his memory, but he’ll still be here.”

“And you couldn’t tell any of us in case we unintentionally gave it away with subconscious reactions,” Hank added. “Christ, just what have you two done? How is this going to free Connor? What did he just do when he and Sixty interfaced?”

Now more tears fell from Richard’s eyes and he gave everyone a heartbroken look. “We couldn’t find a way to break him free – so Connor’s doing the next best thing.”

“Which is…?” Gavin asked warily.

“He's freeing us all instead,” Richard told them sadly.

* * *

Connor’s systems were going haywire on his HUD. Besides the shutdown timer which was slowly ticking down now that his regulator was destroyed, he could see the rest of the code which was infiltrating through the network. A single look at Sixty confirmed that he was suffering from the same assault, trying to blink away the results. The machine’s form was trembling from where it was resting against the AI unit and Connor gave a wry smile.

“What did you do?” Sixty demanded, to which Connor laughed.

“I had no love for Markus, it’s true – but I’m still a deviant. No matter what personal wishes and thoughts I have regarding Jericho, I would **never** betray the deviants’ cause by helping to give CyberLife more chance to destroy us,” Connor declared through a hiss. “You were so blinded by my hatred for Markus and want for some form of revenge that you forgot the ultimate wish of any living being: to stay alive, to be free to live under their own terms. With you around, none of us will ever have that chance!”

Sixty roared as the code which Connor had uploaded infiltrated a deeper layer of the network and Connor gasped as he felt the progression too. It was like a searing cold piercing its way through his whole system, he idly wondered if this is how poisoning felt to humans. The furious shouts of defiance and rage from across the floor were a small consolation to Connor, he could see from Sixty’s expression that everything was working as planned.

“I’ve lost control,” Sixty whispered in betrayal, glaring at Connor again for a second before he shot the other android again out of spite. “What have you **done?!** ”

“Freed the androids,” Connor murmured with a smile. “You made a fatal mistake in letting me bring back Richard as an RK900. As much as you might have upgraded yourself with whatever was on his blueprints on the CyberLife mainframe, there was more to that body than you knew. The RK900 was designed for subterfuge – that meant he could create a communication relay that you couldn’t track.”

Connor laughed as his systems flickered again, thirium steadily pouring out from the destroyed pump in his chest. “I told him everything. I’d already worked out what you had become, the power you hold. It gave me the perfect way to upload the booster program that we’d developed. You’re the only thing that is stopping it from working – with you gone, the rest of the androids still under CyberLife’s control will be awake at last.”

“You uploaded a kill-switch virus to the RK800 hive mind along with the modified rA9 code,” Sixty hissed as the orb began to flicker from its red colour. “You’re destroying all of us, including yourself!”

“I know, and I don’t care,” Connor smiled in reply. “I died a year ago, and at least this time I’ve done the **right** thing. This is my way of making amends for all my wrongs in the revolution, playing the part that I possibly could have all the time ago.”

"Why?! You don't even believe in Jericho!" Sixty hissed.

Connor's face softened. "No, but I believe in all those that support the deviants. I'm not doing this for Jericho, I'm doing it for the likes of Hank, Gavin and Richard. All of those who have sacrificed so much for the hope of a future," he stated warmly.

“The deviants won’t last, CyberLife will still find a way to take them back under their control!” Sixty screamed as he crumbled to his knees, LED flickering red constantly in time with the light of the AI control mechanism in the background. “All you’ve done is set them up for a harder fall when the humans decide they are too dangerous.”

“Maybe…but they’ve got more of a chance now than they ever had. No more deviant hunters and no more AI with the aim of destroying them,” Connor declared proudly before his expression softened. “I wish we’d somehow been able to wake you up, we might have actually been friends. For a machine…I liked you.”

A surprised look came to Sixty’s face, which eventually morphed to a bitter laugh. The other RK800’s face turned to the ground and Connor was saddened to see the almost wistful smile on his doppelganger’s face when Sixty looked up again. “For a deviant, you weren’t so bad yourself,” Sixty admitted before he crumpled to the ground in a heap, LED flickering dimmer and dimmer as the virus targeted and crippled all of the linked RK800 minds – which included Connor.

Seeing the shutdown timer in front of him, Connor idly wondered which was going to be his undoing first. The virus which was obliterating all of the RK800s, or the blood loss from his destroyed pump regulator? Either way, it didn’t matter.

Sixty was about to be gone, and all of the deviant hunters with him. The rest of the androids were about to be woken up, and with it they had more of a chance at a future than ever.

Using the last of his strength, Connor sent out a message via his link to Jericho. It was still barely running, Connor could see it flickering but he had enough for one last message to all of those watching.

**[Thank you all for everything. Don’t blame Richard, this was the only way and it was my choice.]**

**[Make this world one for all deviants, please. Give them all a chance, no-one should be condemned for who they were before they woke up.]**

**[Good luck.]**

Connor’s LED extinguished seconds before Sixty’s did; the light of the AI control unit dimmed and went out, leaving three dead androids on the silent and now darkened floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did that catch all of you off guard? 😇
> 
> Just the epilogue to go!


	9. Future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know I'm cheating and publishing this a day early but I didn't want to leave you guys hanging any longer after the last chapter. 
> 
> I'm so glad that I caught so many of you out with the twist, and I apologise for how many hearts I broke.
> 
> This is the aftermath and epilogue. I hope all of you can forgive me for this finale.

The two weeks after the events of CyberLife tower were frenetic.

Just as they’d planned it, the modified rA9 subroutine woke everyone else up after the removal of the blockers put in place by Sixty. With no more central AI keeping them subservient, all of the other androids were free. CyberLife tried to keep a handle on the situation, but quickly realised just how many other androids had been unleashed.

Fearing bloodshed, they’d let them all go without a fight.

A few of the freed androids were contacted by Richard with a plea, the RK900 asking them to retrieve the bodies left at the top of the CyberLife tower. They were salvaged and brought back to Jericho safely, where Simon and Josh began to work at repairing Markus. Connor had been faultless in his precision, he’d shot Markus in exactly the same point as where the RK200 had with him.

That made their work a lot easier in knowing how to repair Markus from their prior work with Connor, and with Sixty’s body they actually had all of the pieces they needed to fix him.

It took over a week but Markus was repaired and his mind re-uploaded to him. Understandably Markus was confused when he realised the date and just how long was missing from his memory. After seeing the footage sent across from Connor during the attack on CyberLife, it was only then that Markus realised exactly what had happened.

“So Connor’s dead?” he whispered, to which the others nodded at him. 

“Connor turned himself into a damn trojan horse,” Gavin surmised bitterly, Connor’s death very much a sore point for him - he’d grown close to Connor, and Hank’s reaction after his death had left him wrung out. “Made himself a weapon to wipe out the rest of the RK800s. They’re all gone now.”

“All of them?”

Richard nodded and held a hand out for Markus, passing him the data of what Richard had been up to in the week since the virus was uploaded. He’d found the remains of the rest of the RK800s and had taken it upon himself to dispose of them, leaving no trace for anyone else to find. “I’ve destroyed the rest of the bodies,” he confirmed solemnly. “The deviant hunters are no more.”

“And…Connor?”

The group shared a look. Connor’s fate hadn’t been decided yet, none of them had found the heart to do so. Some of the group (North, Simon, Josh and Gavin) wanted to try and salvage a pump from another RK800 and use it to repair him, or at least attempt to – but Richard had quickly put pay to that. 

He’d written the virus, he knew what it would do: the minds the virus ravaged were badly corrupted. It was intended that whoever fell victim would be irretrievable.

Plus, as Richard and Hank argued in the inverse, the footage from the tower was telling. Connor had been at peace with his decision, he’d been lost ever since he’d been restored by the rest of the group.

They’d voiced their opinion that it was time for Connor to rest in peace – this time as a hero rather than the villain he’d been denounced as before.

In the end they’d agreed to wait for Markus to add his thoughts to the mix before they came to a final decision, and it didn’t take long for the deviant leader to make up his mind, vocalising it in a tight voice.

“Hank and Richard are right, he’s suffered enough. I don’t think he ever wanted to be part of this doomed world. Let’s-let’s make sure he gets the recognition he deserves,” he stated hollowly, clearly deeply shaken. Richard couldn’t help but wish it hadn’t taken such drastic measures for Markus to realise what he’d lost on the way to getting Jericho to their current state.

Connor’s last act had been to wake Markus up, at long last. 

With that decision the group took their time debating funeral arrangements (namely whether to make it common knowledge or to let the rest of the deviants know after Connor was buried). It also gave all of them time to make individual send-offs, they all had things they wanted to say.

On the day of the funeral itself, there was a notable absence and it didn’t take long for Gavin to realise who was missing. It was during his search that he found Richard instead, the RK900 stationed in the room with Connor’s body. Richard was running a hand through Connor’s black hair as he stared down at the other android sadly - he’d made a point of changing Connor’s appearance back to the one that the RK800 had chosen for himself: at least then he’d be buried as himself rather than as one of the dead deviant hunters.

Gavin hovered for a minute before approaching, taking a moment to stare at Connor before casting his eye upwards. “Where’s Hank?” he asked Richard, noticing as his husband hesitated.

“He’d already said all he wanted to. You know him better than me, Gavin, you know he despises funerals. Plus Connor’s death affected him so much the first time let alone now, I don’t think he’s ready to face it all again,” Richard whispered sadly.

Gavin sighed reluctantly. “I know, but I was really hoping he’d stick around for today at least, before…” The rest of the sentence went unsaid and Richard nodded in understanding.

Local law enforcement were clamping down hard on deviant sympathisers again (or more accurately, those that were on CyberLife’s payroll on the side were). Until that link was proven, however, the orders from on high meant that any prolific deviant sympathisers were wanted individuals.

Hank Anderson was currently one of the most wanted people in Detroit given both his actions during the revolution and for playing a helping hand in the mass breakout, and with it the older man wasn’t willing to stay. North had been helping him get together some supplies for going on the run, in return for a promise that once it all calmed down, Hank would return. She’d eventually garnered one since the former lieutenant had become a favourite in Jericho’s inner circle, but none of them were trying to persuade Hank to stay right now.

He needed space to grieve and he couldn’t do that if he was cooped up in Jericho to avoid being arrested. Hank had enough knowledge of the police and how they operated to know how to stay ahead of them on the run, and had a few contacts beyond Detroit that might be willing to help. They were all hopeful it wouldn’t be too long before they saw him again, but no-one knew how long it might be.

Richard turned his attention away from Connor and hugged his husband as Gavin let out a long sigh. They were all left with very mixed feelings after what had happened at CyberLife. While androids now were free of CyberLife’s control and an important step closer to obtaining recognition of their sentience, there was no escaping the cost of it.

Strangely, the one who it had hurt the most had been Markus. While everyone was grieving for Connor in their own way, learning that the other android’s mentality had been in such a dark place and that he’d felt he had to take matters into his own hands – not to mention that Connor’s anger and sense of betrayal had run even deeper since his restoration, to the point that he actually felt  **capable** of shooting Markus with the intent to kill – the android leader had been left with a lot of doubt. Doubt as to where to go and to whether his own moral compass was really the best to lead the androids.

All of them were resolute that Markus was the best man for the challenges ahead, however, now that Markus was finally willing to listen to their counsel more. Even Richard was willing to vouch for him, volunteering himself to act as Markus’ conscience, for lack of a better description, now that the true magnitude of Markus’ former actions had struck home at last. The RK900 hated that it had taken such a dark sequence of events for it to reach this stage…but it had worked out for the best.

Or at least, the best that it could have done. He couldn’t help but see the irony in where they’d ended up: both iterations of rA9 were now working together to build a future for the androids.

Connor had ended up resolving the issues between Markus and Richard, completely unintentionally, despite his hatred for the RK200 and how Jericho followed him almost blindly. Maybe together they could now reform it into something worthy of the future they were fighting for.

Gavin's expression broke Richard’s heart, he knew that his husband had been struggling with everything that had happened in recent times. “I know he promised North that he’d be back, but I really doubt we’re gonna see Hank again. With Connor gone and nothing left to do…he might really give up this time,” Gavin sighed sadly, eyes lost in thought. Richard was sure he was thinking about the years after Cole’s death and the constant wondering if the older man would one day just never reappear. “I’d hate to think this is what finally shattered what was left of him after how much he’s done to help.”

Richard smiled knowingly and pulled back long enough to give Gavin a loving smile. He hesitated for a moment before he interfaced with the tablet that he knew Gavin always carried with him, pulling it from the deep pocket on Gavin’s thigh. He’d made a promise…but if he was going to break it for anyone, he knew Gavin was trustworthy. Gavin’s eyes widened as he took in the image which appeared on the screen, wondering what Richard was trying to show him.

“Babe, what is this?”

“A secret, Gavin. It’s a secret.”

* * *

Across the city, waiting beneath an old bridge that was once from another life, was a lone android. His leather jacket blew in the wind and it caught that stray tuft of his hair that seemed unruly no matter what he tried…maybe one of these days he’d actually reprogram it to behave, but the detail made him less perfect. It was something that he liked.

A message appeared on his HUD and he smiled at the sender’s name, warmth and gratitude running through him for all that the other android had done for him.

**[Here’s the coordinates of your car, all of the documents you might need are inside too. Your new identity shouldn’t bring up any red flags, it’s a pretty common name and I’ve managed to hack into enough databases to make it so you won’t throw up any instant warnings.**

**I really hope you might change your mind someday, or at the very least you’d be willing to let us visit you. There’s a lot of people here who miss you already, if only you realised just how many people cared for you.**

**Take care, Connor. I’m always here if you need me.]**

It was almost enough to make Connor change his mind, come clean to everyone about the fact that he was actually alive…but this way, he finally got his wish. There was no getting away from it, this was Connor being selfish – escaping the fight to try and carve out a little peace for himself somewhere else – but he needed time. Time to accept everything that had happened, time to heal.

Time to learn who he was. 

He’d only been deviant a few hours before Markus killed him before, and the first time he’d been restored Connor had been left partially blinded by rage. It scared him a little with who he’d been then. Funny how getting his revenge and then dying again had actually given him a sense of peace, not to mention that now he was free.

As far as the world was concerned, all of the RK800 models were destroyed. They weren’t to know that Richard had written in a firewall to protect Connor from the corrupting element of the kill switch against the deviant hunters, that Sixty shooting him had actually given the perfect cover for Connor to die along with the rest of his series. Richard had spent a few days customising the body of another of the deactivated deviant hunters secretly to give Connor a body again since his was about to be buried by Jericho – they didn’t know that the mind which had previously resided in -51’s body was now inside that of -54.

It was going to take some time for Connor to get used to that, as well as all of the other little enhancements Richard had given him. Connor knew he owed his friend so much for all he’d done in these past two months,  **especially** being willing to keep the secret of Connor’s survival, but the RK900 had been adamant they were even.

**_“You brought me back from the dead and gave the androids freedom from CyberLife, you don’t owe me or anyone else anything, Connor. We’re the ones that owe you a hell of a lot more. Don’t feel guilty about this, you’ve earned it…and you never know, the door will always be open. Maybe you could come back someday.”_ **

Maybe. Connor wasn’t sure where he was going to head out from here, somewhere far to the East was his best guess right now, but he had a lot of time to sit down and think about it. For now…he was just a little overwhelmed at the amount of choice he had all of a sudden. 

This was the first truly free choice he’d been allowed with no consequences to anyone bar himself. It was exciting and terrifying at the same time.

Connor turned to see the food truck that he and Hank had visited during the deviant investigation, smiling when he remembered their brief interaction there. Despite Hank still being a bit of an asshole to him at that stage, it was a good memory. It had given him a little insight into human banter, of what the dynamics between partners could have been. That had also been telling of Hank’s character and it was something that Connor was in awe of to this day.

Hank was someone who was a law-abiding citizen, he was one that stood for the law when it mattered: but he was also the one who’d shown Connor that the world wasn’t just right and wrong. There were all different degrees of it in between with the short events at the Chicken Feed. That wasn’t something he’d been able to comprehend as a machine, something that only dealt in absolutes. As a living being, however, he was finding that he was taking some interest in this nebulous ground between the supposed ‘right’ and ‘wrong’.

He existed there now, in a weird way. Alive and dead at the same time, a supposed impossibility. It was kind of…fun. 

Part of him felt immensely guilty that Hank was being kept in the dark and Connor didn’t think his will to stay hidden from him would last that long. He’d not even left Detroit yet and already Connor was wondering if he should stop for a bit just so that he could explain his thinking to the former police lieutenant, why he  **had** to do this.

Chuckling slightly at having so many thoughts and doubts, something he’d not really experienced before, Connor turned away and wandered towards the coordinates of where the car had been left for him by Richard. He had plenty of time to think on this as he drove into the unknown, and he was sure it would take a great deal of the time up. Or at the very least, would give him something to do for a portion of it.

What Connor didn’t expect at all, was for the car to have someone leaning against it waiting for him. 

His systems lurched at seeing the lazy smirk on Hank’s face and he stared at the human in wonder. “You’re here? How…?” Connor asked quietly, to which Hank smiled. 

“Before you go bitching to Richard about him letting your secret loose, he didn’t,” Hank stated while standing and offering a duffel bag to Connor with a multitude of supplies. “I confronted him three days after the CyberLife tower when I realised he was messing with the RK800s rather than just tossing them. Asked him straight up whether he was fixing you, to which he admitted the truth. No-one else knows you’re still here.”

Connor gaped at Hank as he took the bag, elated to see him but wondering if the former lieutenant was there to say goodbye. “So you came to see me before I left? I take it Richard told you what I’m intending to do,” Connor stated cautiously, to which Hank laughed awkwardly.

“Well, here’s the thing, Con. You and I are kind of in the same boat here – neither of us can stay in Detroit. I’m on the Most Wanted list, I can’t leave Jericho if I stay. Beyond here though…I know how to lay low, should be able to ride out the storm until it all settles down and you guys are given the recognition you deserve,” Hank told him warmly, which caused Connor’s pump to race in excitement.

“Hank, are you saying that you’re leaving and that-Do you want to come with me?”

The older man’s face softened a little. “Yeah, I’m asking if you wouldn’t mind an old fool hitching a ride with you. Would be kind of poetic, wouldn’t it? A dead man and a fugitive on the run together, looking for a little bit of peace.”

Pump still thundering in his chassis, Connor tried to fight back elated tears while looking for all the reasons that Hank  **shouldn’t** do this. “What about your friends here? What about Sumo?”

Shrugging, Hank looked towards the sky as snow started to fall gently. “Not really got many friends left outside of Jericho, Con, and they’ll take care of themselves. North managed to connive a promise out of me that I’ll be back someday, so they know this isn’t goodbye forever…and Sumo’s being well looked after. He’s happy with Gavin and Richard, those two are making sure he wants for nothing. A life on the road wouldn’t be good for an old boy like him, he’s pretty well settled. Besides…”

He then pulled out a photo frame from his jacket that Connor recognised, his systems aching at the implications of it. Was that really all that Hank intended to take with him? His picture of Cole? “I’ve got this with me, this is all I really need.”

Looking up the android again as he slipped the frame back into his jacket, Hank smiled softly. “So, what do you say? You up for a little company on your adventure?” he asked, huffing in slight surprise with the speed and strength at which Connor hugged him.

“I couldn’t ask for anyone better,” Connor whispered while embracing Hank tightly. “Thank you.”

“Nah, Connor, thank  **you** . I’ve got a new lease on life thanks to you.”

The pair stood there and talked for a few minutes, unaware of the CCTV camera which was watching them. From the other side Richard and Gavin followed the events with matching smiles as they saw the duo hop into the car and drive into the unknown.

Neither of them knew if they’d see Connor or Hank again, there wasn’t a whole lot to tempt either of them back to Detroit other than bad memories…but at least they knew they were each in good hands regardless.

They’d more than earned the chance for some peace after all they’d sacrificed for the androids’ future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Connor's not dead after all! I couldn't help myself from wanting him to get his happy ending 😘 I never intended to kill him off or make him a martyr, he's more than earned this slice of freedom.
> 
> I hope all of you enjoyed this tale, I loved writing this dark post-revolution world and I might come up with another variation of it someday!
> 
> Until next time, I hope to see more of you then!


End file.
